Coventry City boss Steven Pressley has warned his side that they could yet get drawn back into a relegation battle if they continue to play as they did during Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Tranmere Rovers.
The Sky Blues are currently 13th in the League One table, but they are only five points clear of the drop zone.
Speaking after watching his side slump to their third straight loss, Pressley told reporters: "We looked like we accepted defeat too soon. We lacked a cutting edge and we needed to create more than we did. Games can change quickly and we have to have a better mentality when we do fall behind because otherwise we won't get anything.
"If we start feeling sorry for ourselves, then things are unlikely to go our way, but Tranmere played well and we didn't match them. We need to stand up to adversity because this is our most challenging period of the season.
"We have had a really successful period leading up to the last three weeks, but the reality now is that we are getting dragged back down to the wrong end of the table. The players need to remember there is a league below us and we need to come through what is a difficult time. If we don't realise that then we are in trouble."
Coventry started the season with a 10-point deduction.
Robert Summerscales
