Plymouth Argyle captain Conor Hourihane feels his team have to stand up and be counted or risk dropping out of the Football League.
The Pilgrims' 1-0 defeat at home to Oxford on Saturday left John Sheridan's side just one point above the drop zone and the foot of the League Two table.
And the midfielder, 22, spoke about the urgent need for players to show their fighting spirit with fellow strugglers AFC Wimbledon and Barnet on the horizon.
"We have to up it," he told the club's official website. "Even though we were on a good run, we are not playing good enough.
"We have to knuckle down; we have to start putting shifts in; we have to know what it means.
"It's a tough battle down there. We found that out last year and it's going to be a tough battle again so we have to work hard.
"We have to show a bit of fight and a bit of courage to stand up and be counted, and move on to next week."
