SHAY McCartan is adamant City will not chuck in the towel in the play-off race.

Wednesday’s last-gasp loss against Wigan left them six points off the top six.

The Bantams have picked up only two points from nine League One games since their last win on January 1 to slide down the table.

But McCartan insists the fight has not been knocked out of the squad as they head into Monday’s TV trip to Doncaster.

He said: “The lads are all together. You saw that in the Wigan game with flying into tackles and chasing lost causes.

“It’s not a case that we’re not trying or we’ve chucked it.

“We want to get in the play-offs. We want to get promoted.

“The lads who have been here a couple of years don’t want to be in League One. They want to progress to the Championship.

“We’ve got the right mentality. It’s once we get that first win because the work rate is there.

"It’s probably just that bit of composure that’s not there at the minute because we haven’t won.

“It’s going to take a scrappy 1-0, that’s going to be horrible like Wigan did the other night. That’s what we need and it will breed confidence after that.”

The Irish frontman still believes Simon Grayson’s team have it in them to go on a run and highlighted the example of another play-off rival who have come through the pack.

He added: “Plymouth have gone on a run from bottom of the table to where they are now and I think we’re a better team than them.

“Eleven games are left and we’re still in and about there. It doesn’t take much to go on a run.

“We proved that at the start of the season and the team’s not changed.

“We’ve got to be positive and confident that things will change. I don’t see why not.

“Once we get that first win it will be a relief. Then it’s all downhill and will be a lot easier.

“We’re sticking together. I’ve been in changing rooms before where the lads are joking about saying we’ve chucked it now.

“But it’s not like that. We know what we have to do to win a game.

“Monday will be a tough game against Doncaster but we’re looking forward to it.”

McCartan was deployed up front with winger Alex Gilliead in the Wigan duel as Grayson reshuffled his resources to cope without the banned Charlie Wyke.

City were poised to grab a point from a scruffy game when Michael Jacobs won it for the visitors in time added on.

“The lads were all gutted,” admitted McCartan. “It was the same against Bury in our last home game.

“Wigan will say themselves they didn’t deserve to win that game. It had 0-0 written all over it.

“But that’s football and you’ve got to take it on the chin. It’s probably happened with us earlier in the season when we’ve won games we haven’t deserved to.

“It was just a sucker punch at the end – the timing of the goal gave us no chance to come back.

“It’s frustrating but you’ve got to put it to the back of your mind now and work even harder.

“We’re in a rut but it’s not like we’re playing horrendously.

“The new gaffer has a system and we know what he wants us to do. It’s clear now and we’ve got to look to get three points on Monday.”