TOWN'S squad will stick together and remain positive.

That's the message from inside the camp from Michael Collins.

Peter Jackson's talented midfielder was crestfallen after the FA Cup exit to Blackpool.

It completed a hat trick of first-round home cup defeats for Town this season and Collins admitted it hurt.

He also acknowledged Town must regroup and reinvigorate for the league campaign ahead - because the only thing which will make up for the cup defeats is a solid and successful push towards promotion.

"We were hell-bent on having a good run in the FA Cup because it can inspire confidence which you can take into the league, so it was very disappointing to go out," said Collins, 20, who has started the last 13 league games.

"There's no worse feeling than going out of the FA Cup, especially at the first time of asking, but we've now got to make sure it becomes a blessing in disguise and that a full focus of our attentions on the League will pay dividends.

"We have to go for it now in League I - and I mean really go for it.

"We haven't hit the heights we know we should be hitting and now is the time we've got to dig in, concentrate and start grinding out some results - because that's what we have to do. We just can't afford to wait any longer."

Republic of Ireland Under 21 cap Collins, who is just two short of 50 senior appearances for the club, says Town must continue to believe in their own ability despite a home record showing only one win in three months since August.

"It's hard to nail down the problem at the moment because we are playing some nice football but there is just something missing," he said.

"It's hard to put your finger on exactly what.

"We are creating chances which aren't going in for us at the moment, which is probably part of it, but we are working hard, trying as much as we can and putting everything in, so we've just got to stay focused until things turn for us.

"Other teams go through these sorts of phases, so we've got to pick ourselves up after the cup defeat, stick together as a team and, hopefully, things will come right for us."

Collins says the squad are at a loss to explain why the season has not delivered more, especially when you consider the overall ability in the dressing room.

"The main thing that's been said among the lads, other than the fact we all realise we haven't played that well, is that you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times we've performed over 90 minutes," he revealed.

"That's disappointing, but the positive to be taken out of all that is we are still only three points off the play-off placings.

"Considering we haven't played well yet that's not a bad position to be in and, when we start to click - which I'm sure we will - we are really going to push on quickly.

"That's what we've been telling ourselves.

"We have all got confidence in each other and we are all still together as a squad - there has been no finger pointing or anything like that - so the spirit is good and we all realise there's still a long way to go."

Collins added: "When we do finally hit our best form, some teams are going to take a real hiding and that's the way we've got to look at it.

"We are all staying positive because, if we start thinking about things too much, it will undoubtedly have an adverse affect on us.

"It's important we keep believing in our ability, because we are a good squad, and if we stay positive then that ability will pull us through."

Collins was sacrificed in a formation switch against Blackpool, after the visitors went ahead through Wes Hoolahan's 69th-minute penalty, an award which still rankles with him.

"To be honest, I thought it was a shocking decision," he said.

"I was standing directly in line with the referee and I couldn't see anything, so how he decided he could see a handball by Nathan (Clarke) is beyond me.

"It's his decision, though, and sometimes they go for you and sometimes they go against you.

"Apart from that, we said before the game and again at half-time that we couldn't see Blackpool scoring apart from a set piece or a decision like the one they got.

"It proved to be exactly the case and there's not a lot you can do about it. We are bound to moan and whinge because we feel very hard done by, but he's made the decision and it's had a bad effect on us.

"All we can do now is look forward. There's no use looking back any more."

Collins was one of three Town players booked by Midlands official Andy Hall.

The cautions for skipper Jon Worthington and full-back Andy Holdsworth take them to five each for the season and they were missing today's League I clash with Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.

"I thought all the bookings were harsh, especially as on a couple of occasions similar tackles by their players went unpunished," he said.

"I suppose it's a case of when things are going against you, they are definitely going against you, and even though we aren't happy about it we've just got to accept it.

"The moment we start worrying too much about referees' decsions, though, is the moment we start worrying about the wrong things.

"We should be taking control of games so that these things don't matter at the end of the day.

"It's up to us to make sure we play well enough to have games in the bag regardless of other factors."