Jon Stead was pleased to emerge as the matchwinner for Notts in their 1-0 win over Port Vale.
The striker's nerveless penalty, his sixth goal of the season, was enough to give the Magpies a win to start 2018.
And he was pleased to see the team bounce back from the narrow defeat at Swindon on Saturday.
"It was a tough game against a very good side who have been in incredible form," he said. "Our performance was certainly a good way to respond to the defeat at Swindon.
"The manager was desperate for a response to get back on track straightaway, which is what we have done every time we have been beaten. I thought we put in a good performance.
The veteran is relieved to have made it through the busy festive period unscathed after leading the line with aplomb in the absence of Shola Ameobi over Christmas.
"I felt better today than I did at Swindon!" he laughed. "You have to just keep yourself ticking over to not stiffen up or feel the effects of the games.
"We get a couple of days' rest now so you just have to push yourself through those games."
Stead also reflected on an amazing 2017 for the club, which saw the Magpies go from being threatened by relegation to promotion contenders.
"The past 12 months have been remarkable," said the forward. "The manager told us before the game today that 2017 was good, but it's done now and we have to make sure 2018 is even better.
"We've started it well and we need to carry on. There's a long, long way to go before the end of the season and we have to keep pushing game-by-game."