First team Shaun Derry believes that Notts County's 1-1 draw with Bristol City was vital heading into a busy run of fixtures.
Alan Sheehan's 89th minute penalty saw the Magpies equalise late on and add another important point to the tally after back-to-back wins.
Notts can now look forward to the away trips to Port Vale and Crawley Town with some momentum behind them.
“I’m pleased with how far we’ve come and I’m delighted with the lads," said Derry.
“We need to go on runs now and it was a big game.
"We knew that Steve [Cotterill] was going to come with a game plan, a freshness and an enthusiasm that replicates his character.
“It was a difficult game for us but I thought that we came away with a deserved point.
“They’re big games throughout Christmas and it was a huge point for us to push us into the next run of games.
“Hopefully the fans have enjoyed watching us this past four or five games – I’m sure they didn't the first two.
“I think they’re starting to realise now what this new Notts County team is all about and I’ll make sure that they’ll go into the new year and give them something more to smile about because I’m smiling.”
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