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Ebbsfleet United boss Kevin Watson has urged his squad to believe they can produce a great escape.
The Fleet looked doomed to relegation after being thrashed at fellow strugglers Chesterfield last weekend.
But they bounced back with a dominant 3-1 win at Maidenhead on Tuesday night and are five points away from climbing out of the bottom four.
“We’re not going down without a fight,” stated Watson. “We are playing for each other, and for the club, to keep us in the division.
“Everyone’s job is on the line – my job is on the line, these boys’ contracts only go to the summer so we all want to do as best we can. It gives us a chance and a platform.
“I’ve said it before, every time we seem to have been close before, the next game we’ve thrown it away. Whenever we’ve had a chance to go within a point or two of getting out of it, we have a bad performance.
“We’ve got to go on a run. You’ve heard the Maidenhead supporters, they’re unhappy and despondent with their team’s display. I’ve said to the boys ‘take heart from what you’ve done, what you’ve heard, what you’ve played against’.
“It’s got to give you heart that you can still drag teams in. There’s 10 games left now – 10 cup finals.
“I was disappointed on Saturday, disappointed with the manner, not specifically the first goal but the other three were so defendable and poor on our part.
“The way we’ve played and responded to that result – there’s no better way to come back from a 4-0 defeat than to go away again and win 3-1 – I’ve got to give my players every credit.”
Watson has urged his strikers to shoot on sight. Having scored just five goals in their last 10 matches, Fleet rediscovered their scoring touch at Maidenhead.
Gozie Ugwu and Josh Umerah were recalled to the starting line-up – and the pair looked like they were on a mission to impress.
“The pair of them were unplayable along with Adam Mekki in the first half,” said Watson.
“I told them as soon as you see the whites of the goal I want you to shoot. They don’t shoot enough, the pair of them.
“They can both smash a ball. Josh has taken his goal brilliantly, Gozie took his ones fantastically well.
“I’m pleased for them but I’ve said I don’t want to leave you out to get that reaction. That should be a given, that work-rate.
“We’ve not been shooting enough, we’ve not been putting enough crosses in. I left Gozie out on Saturday and Josh out completely.
“I said to them ‘you must be calling me all the names under the sun before the game, go and show me why I am wrong’.”
Fleet will be without keeper David Gregory, Ayo Obileye and Marvel Ekpiteta through injury when they host Stockport at Stonebridge Road on Saturday, kick-off 3pm.
