The last-minute equaliser against local rivals W*ymouth was the turning point for Yeovil Town this season, according to Josh Staunton.
The midfielder-turned-defender said the late leveller from Tom Bearwish in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie in October force the players to look at themselves.
Having won the replay in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, the Glovers have won seven, drawn two and lost one of the last ten matches.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup second round tie at home to
Stevenage, Staunton said: “I think when we played W*ymouth here and conceded in the last minute, we learnt a lot about each other and it was a platform to build on.
“It was a case of we go one way or the other and we stood up to the test and we have grown as a group.
“The belief we have now is something we were lacking earlier in the season.”
The stand-in skipper, who opened his goal-scoring account with the first in the 2-0 win at Wrexham in midweek, said he felt “like a proud father” to his young team-mates.
He added that he felt the team had “found the emotional maturity” they needed to get through games.
He added: “We don’t get too carried away when we win and we don’t think we’re going to get relegated when we lose.
“We’ve found a way to get those results and momentum is a massive thing in football, when you are riding that wave you need to take riding it.”