ATHLETIC’S stars have been told to forget about missed opportunities and find a much-needed win to reignite their promotion challenge.

Boss Allan Johnston has lamented a run of just one victory in their last eight Championship games – which has included four draws – that has left them seven points adrift of league leaders Dundee United.

Despite losing at Tannadice on Saturday, Johnston was pleased with what he felt was a much improved display and wants his team to build on it over the festive period, starting with the visit of Queen of the South this weekend.

“We’re still within touching distance but we know ourselves that we could in a much better position,” Johnston told Press Sport.

“But there’s no point looking back. We’ve just got to focus on the upcoming games and, if we can keep up those performances, then sometimes luck and fortune will turn as well.

“We all hate getting beat, no-one more so than myself, but I think there was a lot more positives to come out of the game rather than negatives.

“It was encouraging to see the effort, determination and the quality we showed at times taking the ball under pressure. People were getting on the ball and showing for it, which sometimes is hard maybe when results are not going your way and you don’t see it.

“The players are realistic and know themselves when they play well and don’t play well. They know they deserved more from the game and played at a good tempo, but obviously the goals killed us.

“They’re two poor goals, which shouldn’t happen, but the boys kept on going right to the very end. There was a lot of good stuff but it has to be that every week.

“We’ve not picked up enough wins recently but we’re still not far away from the top, so hopefully we can put a run together ourselves because it’s still all there to play for.”

Johnston confirmed that Nicky Clark missed the game with a calf injury but was hopeful he’d recover in time for the weekend, but Andy Ryan remains a doubt.

Meanwhile a second Falkirk player has been banned for making abusive comments to Dean Shiels.

Joe McKee was given a four-game suspension by the SFA on Tuesday for “excessive misconduct” during a 2-0 Irn-Bru Cup defeat in October.

He follows team-mate Kevin O’Hara in being punished for mocking Shiels over his missing eye.