John Coleman admits he has got a big task to raise morale in the Stanley camp after back to back defeats – but he hopes they will turn on a show at Bournemouth tomorrow.
The Reds were beaten by league leaders Rochdale on Saturday and then suffered a midweek loss to Burton Albion which now means their play-off prospects are no longer in their own hands.
The Stanley boss was at a loss on Tuesday night after the 2-0 defeat but says he will do all he can to get his side, who have slipped to 13th in the table, back on track.
"We have a great set of lads here and they are very downbeat," he said.
"It’s been a bad week, obviously, morale is low and the lads need picking up, it’s our job to try and get them up for the next game.
"I don’t know what happened against Burton as I thought they would be champing at the bit after Saturday and, if we had played anything like our performance on Saturday, we would have won the game."
Coleman made no secret of his disappointment at the Reds’ below-par showing at the Pirelli Stadium and says there has been plenty to address in training since then.
"It’s given us a few areas to work on this week," he continued. "Certainly in our defending, we’ve got to cut out the individual errors there, and we need to be more forceful in midfield.
"We really don’t want to let what’s been a good season for us peter out at the end, I don’t want the shine to be taken off it.
"Historically we do finish the season strongly so we’ll travel down to Bournemouth and look to turn it around.
"Ten days ago everything was rosy as we had just beaten Barnet and then Rotherham on the Tuesday and you wouldn’t think it was the same side, it’s not overly different."
He admitted the Reds missed top scorer Michael Symes, who was sent off against Rochdale.
Seventeen-goal Symes will sit out the trip to the automatic promotion-chasing Cherries tomorrow and the home fixture against Barnet on Tuesday.
"We missed Michael Symes but if we are a one-man team we might as well pack in now.
"We have a squad and it’s the hardest part as a manager as things that you usually see as black and white are shades of grey. People that you think you know what you can get off them, go and give you the exact opposite.
"Our target is three points wherever we can get them, because at this moment in time they look a long way away.
"I don’t think the play-offs were ever in our own hands, all we can do now is concentrate on getting the next three points.
"If I was a Bournemouth scout I would be licking my lips if I had watched us on Tuesday."
