Alton manager Kevin Adair has urged his side to brush off Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Redhill and keep their Combined Counties Premier Division South play-off hopes on track.

Goals from Alex Keating (2) and Nathan Hogan gave fellow play-off hopefuls Redhill the three points in a key game in the race for a top-five finish.

“It was an off day for us,” said Adair. “It was just one of those days. Credit to Redhill – they played well and they deserved the three points. We need to brush it off and concentrate on our play-off push. We’re still right in the mix with four games to go, and I think we could still have a chance going into the final game. Whether it will be in our hands going into the final day I don’t know – we might need to win and rely on other results elsewhere. Last season we only secured our Premier Division status with a few games to go, so where we are now speaks volumes of the group and the progress we have made. I believe this group is good enough to finish in the top five – it is down to me as a manager to prove I can get us in the top five. I believe I can.”

Alton face another big game on Saturday, when they will travel to fellow Combined Counties Premier Division South play-off contenders AFC Croydon Athletic (3pm), and Adair is looking forward to the test.

“Croydon are a good side and it will be a tough game for us,” said Adair. “I know they’ve got a lot of games this week, but they’ve got a big squad and they signed a lot of players before the deadline. I’m sure they would have had the extra games in mind and planned for that.”