DEFIANT Peter Jackson will send Town into action against Torquay at the Galpharm tomorrow (3.00) urging: "Show how good you really are."
The boss is bitterly disappointed at a return of just five points from 12 over the holiday period, which has left his side in 13th place and put a question mark against their League I play-off credentials.
He believes his players are far better than the last three results - 2-2 draws against Bournemouth and Bristol City and a 2-1 defeat by Hull - suggest and says he is "astonished" at suggestions by a small minority of fans that he should be sacked (see Ask Jacko, Page 47).
"We're not far off being a good team and we have no reason to fear any side in this division," he insisted ahead of the meeting with the 19th-placed Devonians.
"We beat Port Vale at home on Boxing Day, we would have won at Bournemouth had Chris Brandon put away a great late chance, we should have at least drawn at Hull and we'd have beaten Bristol City on Monday had it not been for Nathan Clarke's own goal.
"Conceding silly goals has been very costly for us - we've had only four clean sheets in the League this season - and if we can sort that problem out, we'll climb the table."
Jackson has spent much of this week scouring football's available players list, but he has so far drawn a blank, playing down suggestions he is interested in Lincoln striker Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Middlesbrough frontman Malcolm Christie, who needs first-team football as he steps up his return from a broken leg, and Cardiff's Welsh international defender Robert Page.
"We've checked out a number of possible targets, but none of them we've seen so far would add anything to the squad," he said.
"Young Premiership and Championship players are the sort I am trying to bring in and the search will continue next week."
Jackson looks set to give Nat Brown a fifth start of the season at right-back and play Andy Holdsworth on the left after that combination impressed against Bristol City.
Striker Andy Booth will have a late check on his ankle as he bids for a return after seven games on the sidelines.
Torquay, beaten in their last two games at home to Stockport (2-1) and at Tranmere (4-1), hope to have midfield ace Alex Russell (Achilles) and striker Leon Constantine (illness) back in action.
