TOM Killick has pleaded with Poole Town's army of supporters to set aside Saturday's title heartbreak and share his dogmatic belief in the club's play-off credentials.

Dolphins begin their bid to salvage promotion through the end-of-season lottery with a one-off semi-final against St Neots tonight (7.45pm) after Corby won 3-2 at Tatnam and snatched the Southern League championship with nine minutes to spare on the final day.

Manager Killick admitted achieving promotion to the Conference South – which would return Poole to non-league's second tier after a 23-year exile – would be a "mammoth task" but insisted his side should still be seen as favourites.

And the long-serving boss tasked the club's faithful fans play their part in one last push to save the club's season.

Killick told the Daily Echo: "I appreciate that however bad we are feeling, the supporters share that emotion too. Saturday was difficult for everyone concerned but I just hope everyone now shares my feeling that we still have a massive opportunity.

"If the fans could find it in themselves to come to the game in big numbers and be really positive then that would make a huge difference.

"The players have suffered a big disappointment and will need that encouragement, so if we want to achieve this dream that has to be the way forward.

"It is a mammoth task to win two games on the spin at this stage of the season after what has transpired but I feel we have to go all out and give ourselves another shot at it because if we succeed, Saturday will soon be forgotten.

"However good St Neots are, we feel we should have a really good chance playing at home. You can't get that into your head when you miss out in the way we did but we might go from that really heartbreaking situation to one of unbelievable euphoria."

On the match, Killick added: "I hope we still see ourselves as favourites because we finished 15 points clear of St Neots over a 44-game season.

"They have been very powerful since changing their manager and found the kind of form most people expected of them throughout the season.

"Had they managed that consistency from the off, the league table would undoubtedly have looked very different but we have home advantage and must believe.

"We drew with them not so long ago without playing at all well so if we can improve, I feel we have a good chance."

Poole will be without senior stars Marvin Brooks and Richard Gillespie with Michael Walker still doubtful. Killick anticipates having everyone from Saturday's squad available alongside Billy Lowes and Charlie Davis.

Dolphins: (from) Hutchings, Tallack, Spetch, Lindsay, Whisken, Pettefer, Burbidge, Devlin, Quigley, Whelan, Butcher, Gilkes, Walsh, Roberts, Emmerson, Lowes, Davis, Seabright (g/k).