Carshalton Athletic keeper Aaron Howe has urged his team-mates to bounce back from Saturday's heartbreaking 3-2 defeat at AFC Hornchurch that dragged them back into relegation danger.

Cruising at 2-0 up with five minutes to play, the Robins conceded three late goals after Zak Graham's dismissal for time wasting.

And Howe admitted the defeat was a difficult one to get over.

He said: "You could have heard a pin drop in the dressing room after the game. It would have been a massive result for us.

"The sending-off started it all.

"They got a lucky first goal and that really blew us off course."

Despite their slip-up, Carshalton still have breathing space, sitting three places and three points above the drop zone.

And Howe admitted it had been a topsy-turvy season for his side.

He added: "This league is so close it is unbelievable.

"You get two wins and you are on the fringe of the play-offs, then you lose two games and you are suddenly in a relegation battle.

"We are such a young side and we have lacked consistency this season."

Carshalton are at home to lowly East Thurrock on Saturday, and Howe sees it as the perfect opportunity to banish their drop-zone blues.

He added: "We have got ourselves in to this problem and now it is all about us digging our way out of it.

"Everyone is frustrated with how things are going and this is a chance to change that.

"We just need to pull together, cut out the mistakes and everything should be fine."