Two-goal hero Frank Nouble admitted his Yeovil Town team-mates had to win “ugly” to get three points from an impressive Eastbourne Borough side at Huish Park today.
The big frontman took his tally to four for the season after heading a 13th minute opener from a corner before a quickfire brace from the visitors’ Jack Paxman saw them take a deserved lead which silenced a previously boisterous home crowd.
But, with the half-time break getting closer, Nouble took advantage of a rush of blood to the head from keeper Ben Dudzinski to lob the keeper from long range and take the game in level at the interval.
He told BBC Somerset’s Tom Seymour: “I scored on similar to that last season during a loan spell at our bitter rivals [he’s talking about Torquay United] down the road. It was just instinctive, the keeper came out and I saw the goal there and the most important thing was hitting the ball as well as I could.
“Looking back on it now, it was really important. At the time I was very frustrated because they were playing well and they scored two quickfire goals.For us it was just about staying in the game and going in at half-time level.
“A few harsh words were said at half-time and then we regroup and go again because we have to win the game.
“You can’t win every game pretty, I think we have won more ugly games than pretty games, but we have won and that is the most important thing.”
He added: “We want to make sure we want to keep at a level of about two points a game and we are just behind that at the moment.
“As long as we keep close to that we will be nearer the top and that is where we should be at this level. It is a harder league that people think, teams are coming here and playing very freely.
“We have got to be better and I am just happy we can win whilst we are improving.”
The 31-year-old, who arrived in the summer having been released by Torquay at the end of last season, said he was pleased to score the opener from a Jordan Young corner, admitting the team had been working on set-pieces in the days leading up to the match.
He said: “We work hard on set pieces in training and I am just trying to be in the right areas. I think earlier in the season we had quite a few corners coming in and we were not getting the first contact in there.
“I think we are quite a big side and you have to want to head the ball, it was in a good connection and so close to goal the keeper couldn’t do anything about it.”
The striker also had praise for fellow scorer midfielder Josh Owers whose 69th-minute strike earned all three points. The former Bristol City player was starting his second successive match having not featured in the National League South season up until this point.
Nouble said: “He is one of the boys in the changing room who people want to do well. He’s such a great kid and he’s really humble. He works really hard as well and the Gaffer gave him the chance to play today and he’s taken it really well.
It’s a great finish and he’s scored the winning goal, so I am buzzing for him.”
As is the case this season, Nouble was also interviewed by club press officer Dan Howell after the match and you can also watch that interview on the club’s official YouTube channel.