HAPLESS Leicester defender Nikos Dabizas apologised to his team-mates after his own goal pushed the club a step closer to relegation.

The Greek international could only watch in horror as his attempt to cut out a cross from Andy Cole ended up in the back of Ian Walker's net to condemn Leicester to a 1-0 defeat.

"I knew Stead was waiting behind me to knock the ball in," said Dabizas.

"In those situations where you are facing your own goal with no hope of controlling the ball, you can only hope that it will stay out of the net.

"No-one blamed me, and it was good that we did not argue about the goal, or stop trying so hard after such a big disappointment.

"The effort from all the players was fantastic, and one thing you can never fault in this team is their attitude."

That defeat left Leicester stranded in the Premiership's bottom three and the Foxes must now win all of their remaining four matches to stand any real chance of surviving.

"We are fighting for our lives and for our careers," added Dabizas.

"This was a bad result for us and it makes it a lot more difficult for us to avoid relegation now.

"The only consolation is that Manchester City lost, so they are still within reach for us.

"We play them in our next home game, and now it looks like that game will be make or break for us."