Manager Mark Cooper hailed his Yeovil Town’s performance in a crucial 1-0 win over Eastleigh as evidence of how he wants his side to play.
A second half header from midfielder Matt Worthington earned the win in front of a bumper crowd at Huish Park which puts three points between the Glovers and the National League relegation places.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, he said: “I thought were exceptional today, that is the best performance (playing in) the way I like to play. We played some brilliant football, but we also pressed really high with some real athletes in the team, real pace and some of the football we played for an hour was brilliant.
“Then, when you are winning 1-0 and you haven’t won for a while, people get anxious which is human nature but we saw it our brilliantly.
“If there’s a minute to go you have a decision to make, but when there is 20 minutes to go I want to go and pass the ball, create overloads and try and win the game more comfortably.
“We made a conscious effort we were just going to go for it and right from the kick-off we worked a little routine which got us in behind and gave us a bit of impetus, so I was delighted with the first half.”
The manager had praise for forwards Jordan Young and Jordan Maguire-Drew who looked a constant threat against an Eastleigh side who had not conceded in their last three matches.
Cooper said: “(Jordan Young) had a couple of efforts which were close today. It was nice to have Jordan Maguire-Drew back and looking like the player that we know he is. I can’t wait for us to be in the position to get a good pre-season in to him because he can be a massive asset for this football club.”
He confirmed that defender Morgan Williams had sustained a hamstring injury which saw him come off after just three minutes to be replaced by Edwin Agbaje. Cooper said: “It was blow losing Morgs who is a real competitor. We know in Edwin and Chiori (Johnson) we have players to play in that position.”
With three of the division’s bottom four dropping points, the result increases the gap between the Glovers and Gateshead, who occupy the 21st place in the table, to three points – but Cooper was looking no further than the weekend’s trip to another team in the play-offs, Chesterfield.
He added: “I’m a boring manager that does not look (at other results) too much. I just concentrate on getting our team to play and if we play like that we will not have to worry too much.
“But we have some big games coming up now and we can go to a brilliant football club (in Chesterfield) on Saturday with a big atmosphere, a big crowd and go and try and put our game on top of theirs and see how we fair.
“At times we have got away from what we are good at which was that (you saw tonight) and sometimes that is what pressure does and you just have to keep going.”