IT would be an “absolute disaster” if Worcester City got relegated from the Vanarama National League North, insists captain Danny Jackman.

The Blue and Whites slipped into the bottom three after an agonising 2-1 defeat to 10-man Salford City at Bromsgrove’s Victoria Ground on Saturday.

And John Snape’s men now face the prospect of going down for the first time since 1985 if they do not better Gainsborough Trinity’s result on Saturday.

City are one point adrift of safety and travel to champions AFC Fylde while Gainsborough visit 13th-placed FC United of Manchester.

But Jackman says his players must remain positive as Worcester, who have a better goal difference than Trinity, bid to escape the dreaded drop on the final day of the season.

“It would be an absolute disaster if we were to go down,” said the Worcester-born midfielder who is also the club's caretaker assistant boss.

“But we cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We will try to have a good week’s training and be positive for next weekend.

“It will be a tough ask but we will try to get the lads going and be ready for it. It’s a one-game season now.”

Substitute Nick Houghton scored the winner for Salford four minutes from time after a neat one-two with Jordan Hulme and fine finish past Nathan Vaughan.

But Jackman felt Worcester had left themselves “open” for a “sucker punch” after failing to make the most of James Poole’s red card.

With Salford leading 1-0 courtesy of Mike Phenix’s opener Poole received a second yellow card just before the break for kicking the ball away.

Jordan Murphy equalised on 59 minutes, heading home Tom Sharpe’s pin-point delivery, but Jackman believed his side could have done more to exploit space down the flanks.

“We thought we would be able to get joy down the sides of them and it was a great cross from Sharpey and finish from Jordan,” Jackman said.

“But we didn’t do that enough in the second half which was frustrating.

“We should have been trying to play it out wide and overload the wider areas because when you are down to 10 men that’s where the space is.

“But we didn’t so you are always going to leave yourselves open to a sucker punch at the end.”