Big loss: Luis Cumbers is back at Gillingham Deadlinepix SP18879
Terry Brown fears the loss of Gillingham striker Luis Cumbers could undermine AFC Wimbledon's hopes of promotion from the Ryman League Premier Division.
The 19-year-old returned to the League One club last week after a successful stint at Kingsmeadow, during which the Dons won five of the seven games he started.
His departure saw Brown's men lose 2-1 to struggling East Thurrock on Good Friday, before they recovered for a 2-0 at relegation-threatened Carshatlon Athletic on Monday.
He has helped the Dons move within sight of a play-off spot, which they can nail with victory over Horsham on Saturday.
But with the Easter games being littered with missed chances, Brown is mindful his strikers must find their shooting boots in the final five matches of the season or face the prospect of missing promotion yet again.
"We have not got enough quality in the final third at the moment," the manager said.
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"We had 21 shots against Carshalton. We cannot afford to be that profligate in the play-offs.
"Luis going back to Gillingham is a massive loss.
"It is no coincidence that we have had a good run while he has been here.
"He could come back depending on how Gillingham's relegation battle pans out. He is highly thought of there and they aren't dead and buried yet.
"With Karl Beckford and Mark De Bolla going out on loan, we have left ourselves a bit short, but we will be supplementing the squad.
"I am expecting Jon Main to be fit in the next two weeks and we are guaranteed Romone Rose until the end of the season."
Rose sat out the weekend action with the same flu virus that has laid low Jake Leberl and Marcus Gayle in the past 10 days.
Steve Ferguson did his chances of featuring in the play-offs no harm with a brace in Monday's win, but Brown admitted he was no closer to his preferred line-up.
"I would love to say I have my best line-up in my mind but I can't. We scored only three goals and conceded two to the division's bottom teams," he added.
"We play brilliantly one week and then poorly the next.
"That inconsistency has already cost us a shot at automatic promotion.
"I want us to go into the play-offs in form because there are some teams around us flying at the minute. I will not be resting people for the sake of it."
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