WARREN Cummings says consistency will be the key to Cherries' League One survival hopes.

Cummings was one of the few players to emerge with any credit from Cherries' dismal 2-0 defeat at Blackpool on Tuesday.

The abject display at Bloomfield Road came hot on the heels of Kevin Bond's troops pulling off a superb win against Doncaster.

And with the countdown starting at Northampton on Saturday, Cummings knows Cherries must maintain "a level of performance" over the closing 10 games.

The popular Scottish defender told the Daily Echo: "We all had jobs to do against Blackpool and, unfortunately, we came out second best in almost every department.

"It was totally different to Doncaster where we all did our jobs properly. As a result, we got what we deserved in both games so we need to get back to the mind-set we showed against Doncaster.

"If you're going to get anything out of a game, you've got to compete and win your individual battles. We didn't do that at Blackpool but we did against Doncaster. You get a foothold in a game by competing, but we weren't at the races on Tuesday.

"In the main, I don't think we've had the results we've deserved. Hopefully, we can put Blackpool down to a blip and get back to the level of performance we have showed in previous games. If we do that then we will win more than we will lose."

Northampton are currently two points and two places above Cherries and the Cobblers impressed Cummings during a recent Sky-televised game at Brentford.

He said: "They worked very hard and didn't take any prisoners at the back. They defended extremely well as a unit and restricted Brentford to a couple of half chances. The front men created a few chances themselves and they know where the goal is. They thoroughly deserved their victory and put on a good performance."

With Cherries just two points above the relegation zone, Cummings is calling for cool heads over the run-in: "You are going to have some nerves, but you can't let them get the better of you.

"You don't need to be going into games overly-worried about the situation. We know it's important, but if we can focus on the job in hand, then it shouldn't be a problem.

"Despite having a relatively young squad, we've got a few players who have been in this situation before and they've got to use their experience and pass it on to the lads who haven't been through it before."

Cherries: (from) Moss, Cooper, Broadhurst, Gowling, Cummings, Purches, Standing, Wilson, McGoldrick, Fletcher, Pitman, Hollands, Hart, Young, Hayter, Stewart.

Northampton Town: (from) Bunn, Pearce, Hughes, Doig, Crowe, Taylor, Aiston, Bradley Johnson, Holt, Robertson, Deuchar, Kirk, Hunt, Dunn, Jess, Dyche.