Neal Ardley felt we showed several different sides during our 2-0 win against Dagenham and Redbridge on Tuesday night.
Regan Booty put us ahead midway through the opening period with his first goal at Meadow Lane, which sparked the visitors into life.
We had to dig in defensively before getting our just desserts in the 87th minute, when Kristian Dennis once again made a goal-scoring impact as a substitute.
And Ardley was pleased with the way the players responded to what the Daggers threw at them.
“They pressed high and got their four forwards right up against our defenders and we had to show a different side of the game,” said the boss.
“I knew they’d make the second half tough for us and we had to dig in and show a lot of spirit, but we made a few chances as well.
“For the opening 25-30 minutes it was a completely different game. They were sat in and making it difficult for us while we tried to probe and find holes, which could be a compliment."
The boss was delighted to see the lads cope with a tense atmosphere inside Meadow Lane as supporters feared a Daggers equaliser.
“In the second half we had to deal with the anxiety from the stands but the lads enjoy playing here and that’s a key thing,” said Ardley.
“When we get the Lane rocking, this is a great place to be, but in spells like we had tonight the supporters get nervy and worry we might concede, so we have to make sure we don’t let that bring us away from what we work on in training.
“We didn’t this evening. We stuck to our shape and the good habits that have seen us go four without conceding at home now.”
Ardley was delighted with the performance of Sam Slocombe in goal, as well as the scorers, who took their opportunities with aplomb.
“We relied on Sam a couple of times but that’s part of winning a game of football,” he explained.
“The saves he made are the moments that change games. When the momentum can swing and a goalkeeper makes an important stop, that’s when they earn their crust.
“We had some really good chances ourselves, though, and scored two great goals, which we feel we have in us thanks to the forwards and midfielders in the team.
“After earning a late point away from home on Saturday, it was important to get three tonight and we’ll see where we are after another tough game at the weekend.”