Captain George Thomason insists Wanderers won’t let their season die around them as they bid to make a last dash for the play-offs, writes Pete Oliver.
Saturday’s painful loss at Barnsley leaves the Whites three points outside the top six – and with goals to make up – with just four games to go.
But despite a dismal afternoon at Oakwell, Thomason hasn’t give up hope of reversing Wanderers’ form during the final couple of weeks of the campaign and potentially keeping their promotion hopes alive.
The Whites’ skipper said: “We've come to play Barnsley so many times over the last three years and we've not really been surprised at what they've thrown at us. Really, we should have known what was coming - and we did know what was coming - so that's the biggest disappointment.
“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb and a lot to deal with before we really got going. It's tough because we've played poorly for large parts of today and it's probably been the first real disappointing game under the new manager that we've had.
“I don't want to be too doom and gloom because we've got four games left and I'm not going to allow myself or the boys to let this season limp out and fade away when we're still fighting for something.
“Nothing's mathematically out of reach, so it's going to be sore for us, it's going to be sore for the fans, but we really do go again. Strange things have happened in football. Don't get me wrong, I am gutted by it today because we're in a chasing pack that's supposed to be trying to close gaps and we've not done that, we've made it bigger. But I want more belief. I believe that we can sneak in there and until it's done, it's not over yet, so we keep going.
“We're probably coming up to the last biggest twist as such over the course of this season. The Easter weekend, two games in three-ish days, and if we can get two real positive results there, then the game's on for the last two weeks of the season.”
Wanderers are likely to need maximum points from their final four games to have any chance of over-hauling Reading and Leyton Orient to grab the final play-off spot.
And that run must start against high-flying Wycombe Wanderers on Good Friday when Steven Schumacher’s men – who finished the 4-1 defeat at Barnsley with 10 men after Jordi Osei-Tutu followed Aaron Morley in going off injured – must improve on their recent record of five defeats in seven games in their penultimate home game.
“We're really unfortunate that we've picked up a couple of knocks, especially to some real big players that have been playing consistently well, but it also gives lads an opportunity that haven't been playing as much to come into the side and really stake a claim, because there's four games to go, the season's not fizzled out and we're ready to fight and go again. It's on me and it's on everyone to show more,” added Thomason, who is also relying on the fans for help.
“I thoroughly believe they will. Their backing today was magnificent. I know we've not given them enough to shout home about but the support doesn't go unnoticed. I know they'll be hurting as much as us, but I also know they'll come out with the numbers on Friday because that's the kind of people they are.
“It's on myself and the boys to give them something more to shout about and really get the bums off seats, because when that does happen, they really do push us on.”