Exeter City captain Danny Coles hopes the club's supporters can help supplement the loss of key midfielders in the Grecians' clash with Dagenham & Redbridge tomorrow.
Back-to-back defeats over Easter have dented City's hopes of automatic promotion as it leaves them five points adrift of the top three with five games remaining.
Their play-off aspirations also took a blow with the gap between them and Fleetwood, in eighth, reduced to two points and with the likes of Matt Oakley, Tommy Doherty, Liam Sercombe and Alan Gow all out injured, manager Paul Tisdale's resources are being severely stretched.
However, Coles is backing his team-mates to get over the line and finish the season with a top seven place, but he has called for the Red and White Army to act as the club's 12th man.
"Hopefully the fans can back us and be the 12th man. When you look at the places we have been to this season, the supporters have been unreal," he said.
"We know that our supporters can be like that with the singing and stuff and when teams come here and hear that rather than the jeering and stuff, it's a massive help to us.
"It gives the players a lift and it is something that's important. We want them to come and back us as much as they can."
Despite those disappointing defeats to Plymouth Argyle and then at home to Rochdale, Coles is not getting too downhearted. He admits that the losses were a blow, but that there is still plenty to be positive about as the season reaches the last leg.
"We had a couple of days off to go home and clear our heads and the boys have come back today and are ready to work hard and try and put things right on Saturday," he said.
"The spirit in the camp is good. We are still in a good position and everything is in our hands, so there is no need to be doom and gloom about things.
"We are seventh in the league, we are in the play-offs and there is everything to play for. We have five games left and if we put a good run together now, then who knows what will happen?
"There is no point asking us how we are going to remain positive because we are positive because of where we are in the league. If we were mid-table or down at the bottom of the league, we would probably be less positive, but our position in the table means we have every reason to be positive."
It seems Coles is not alone. The training ground was a pleasantly vibrant place to be yesterday as the Grecians prepare for a Dagenham side that is not yet mathematically safe from relegation.
"The boys have come in and they are buoyant and if you go in that changing room, the banter is flying about and it's not much different to what we were like before the Bradford game," Coles said.
"You have to keep a level ground. You can't be too down and you can't be too up and to be fair to the boys, that's what we are at this club. We don't get carried away when we win and we don't get too down when we lose. The boys are all right.
"I am looking forward to it. It is a another big three points at stake, so it is a big game for us, but every game is a big game.
"We are looking forward to it and hopefully we can get the three points."
Three points would certainly be most welcome with the Grecians in a sticky spell of form that has yielded only one win in the last six matches. It is hardly promotion form, but despite that run, Coles continues to look up, rather than down, the League Two table.
"We aren't looking down anyway, we want to cross the line," he said. "We know that if we carry on and get a few wins, it will be enough.
"If you are looking over your shoulder, you are looking too much and it can play on your mind a little bit. The first thing you want to do after you have got three points is to get in the changing room and see how the teams above you have done, you don't want to be looking behind you.
"We are focusing on ourselves and we know that if we get it right, we will get three points and we can cement a play-off place and go from there."
The Grecians have offered professional contracts to three of their second year scholars for next season.
Under 18s captain Matt Grimes and goalkeeper Christy Pym have been offered a deal wlong with right-back Sam Brown, who has been offered a short-term deal.
Central defenders Kamarl Duncan and Irvine Densu have both been released.
