Notts County were driven on to victory against Stevenage by the opportunity to climb out of the Sky Bet League 1 relegation zone.
Callum Ball’s 42nd minute finish secured maximum points for the Magpies at the Lamex Stadium and lifted the team to 16th in the table.
A six-pointer with bottom of the table Boro, County battled to make it three wins on the spin in 2014.
Manager Shaun Derry was delighted with his side after the match but has told his players that there is plenty more work to be done if they are to remain outside the bottom four.
He said: “It’s a massive win and we said after last weekend’s game that it’s pointless beating Sheffield United if we don’t turn up at Stevenage – and we definitely turned up.
“I’m really happy at the minute and I think we deserve to be because we’ve come a long way in such a short space of time.
“I said before the game that there was a massive incentive for the boys to get out of the bottom four.
“When you’ve got that in front of you and you know you’re in touching distance it gives you that little bit more of a bite to go and produce.
“At times we produced some good football at times but it was a battle.
“It was a fantastic win and I’m looking forward to Tuesday night.”
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