Plymouth Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip says facing former manager Steven Schumacher was not a distraction for his side.

The Pilgrims went down 3-0 at Stoke City – the club Schumacher left Argyle for in December.

The loss leaves Plymouth, who sacked Schumacher’s successor Ian Foster earlier this month, two points above the Championship relegation places with two games to go.

“Our players are completely focused on one thing, and have been all year – including when Stephen was our manager – and that is to stay in the Championship,” Dewsnip told BBC Radio Devon.

“Whether we stay in by one point or on goal difference is irrelevant – the goal is to simply stay in the Championship.

“With two games to go, unless someone’s going to tell me the results are changing, then we’re two games out from that, and if you’d have given us that opportunity at the start of the season we’d have grabbed that opportunity.”

Argyle face Millwall on Saturday before hosting Hull City on the final day of the season knowing four points would guarantee survival.

But should Birmingham City fail to beat Huddersfield on Saturday, one win would be enough to secure survival for last season’s League One champions.

“We’re in a positive kind of mental state, but we understand that we’ve got two really tough games to come and we will do our best to be prepared for those two,” added Dewsnip, who has taken seven points from his four games in joint-temporary charge with first-team coach Kevin Nancekivell.

“Our aim is to stay in this league and we’re two games out from doing that.

“So our job is to regroup. We’ll need that Green Army again next weekend, I’m sure they’ll come and support us as they do, they are absolutely fantastic and the players will be giving everything they can.”