DEFIANT Carl Pettefer insists Poole Town can still salvage their promotion dream – despite their last-day title heartache.

Dolphins fought back from two goals down to level their Southern League championship showdown and move back ahead of rivals Corby for all of five minutes at Tatnam on Saturday.

But Spencer Weir-Daley pounced with what proved to be the match winner in a 3-2 triumph that secured the single automatic promotion place for the Steelmen.

The result pushed Poole into the play-offs with tomorrow's semi-final shootout against pre-season favourites St Neots looming large – just three days after losing out on top spot.

And although the ex-Southend star confessed his colleagues felt like they had thrown away the ultimate prize, he remained steadfast that Dolphins could pick themselves up in time for the play-offs.

Pettefer told the Daily Echo: “I’m not quite sure what happened with the two goals early in the second half and to find ourselves in that position, come back and then concede another was really disappointing.

“It felt like we had blown it ourselves. The third goal could have been defended better and our reaction should have been quicker. We are gutted but it is really important to remember we are not out of it yet.

“All we can do is look forward now, we have St Neots and if we can win then we will gather a bit of momentum to take on another massive game. It is still all to play for and we need to use our disappointment to push us through.

“I think we will be fine because everyone in the dressing room has a great deal of confidence in each other.

"I have been in a team that missed out on automatic promotion on the last day of the season but still went on to win the play-offs. It can be done as long as you continue to show the kind of belief that put you in that position in the first place.

“We need to use the time we have to reflect on it, pick ourselves up quickly and get ready to go again.”