The champions closed to within three points of leaders North thanks to their 2-1 victory over Sylvans, which was their game in hand, and coach Ben Hunter praised his team for their efforts in a match that only went ahead following a morning pitch inspection.
‘It’s always a hard place to come to and I think it’s a case of coming and getting a result on a pitch that was hard graft for both teams, not just us, and we showed that character,’ Hunter said.
‘I just said to the lads, those are the games that win you the league – when you show your character.
‘Now North have got to come here next week and do exactly the same thing, so we’ve given them the pressure again.’
All the goals came in the first half with Glenn Le Tissier’s opener being immediately equalised by Simon Arnold before Ben Solway nodded in the winner with the last play of the half.
‘It was a tough game, I think we deserved to win, but we also need to be clinical in front of goal because we missed five or six really good chances to kick on there,’ said Hunter, who was disappointed to concede so quickly after making their pressure count with the first goal.
‘Those are the those are the ones as a coach where it’s so upsetting, but I think we did well to come back from that. A lack of communication and we gave them that chance and they didn’t deserve it.’
He admitted that Solway’s goal made his half-time team talk ‘a bit more positive than it was going to be’.
‘It would have been really frustrating going in at 1-1 because we had five or six really good chances that we should have been taking.’
Both sides had chances in the second half, with Seb Sheppard making one vital intervention midway through to keep Saints ahead from a Arnold free-kick.
‘I couldn’t clearly see it, but I think it got a deflection and it looked a fantastic save and that’s what you’ve got – big, big moments in games like this,’ said Hunter.
North have the chance to move six points clear once again this evening, if their game against Rangers at Northfield goes ahead. Kick off is 7.30pm, weather permitting.
