Matt Jansen column

I’m pleased to say we returned to winning ways on Saturday, with a vital 1-0 victory over Gainsborough Trinity.

We played well in the match and dominated from start to finish.

I’ve said for the majority of the season how we’ve been dominant on the pitch against many different opponents, but at times haven’t come out on top – the defeat at Gainsborough a couple of weeks back was a prime example of that.

But on Saturday, we got what we deserved, which was the win and a vital three points.

Football is all about fine margins, and you’ve got to take your chances on the day, which is something we’ve been guilty of not doing recently.

We went into Saturday’s match wanting to be on the front foot, given the fact we were at home against a side battling to stay in the league.

Gainsborough had recently had a change of management, and it was Lee Sinnott’s first match in charge, so we knew we couldn’t take them lightly.

They had one or two chances during the match, but our defensive nous ultimately shone through.

We’ve got one of the best defensive records in this division and that’s something I’m really proud of.

It was a well worked goal from Josh Wilson just before the hour-mark which made the difference, and ultimately gave us the victory, but we did have several chances to score before that.

I was impressed with our professionalism in digging deep and not crumbling as that’s what you need sometimes to get over the line. I personally feel we can go unbeaten between now and the end of this season.

We’re good enough to do that, it’s just a case of mentally being ready and getting the rub of the green at times against our opponents.

We’ve got 12 league matches remaining between now and the end of the campaign, including home matches against Stockport County, Spennymoor Town and Blyth Spartans – teams which are in and around the play-off positions as well.

It was a good performance on Saturday and one which I’m looking to take into our next match on Saturday when we travel to Nuneaton Town.

On a final note, we’ve welcomed a few new signings into the squad over the past fortnight or so, and they’ve all really impressed me and the rest of my coaching team.

They’re just not match-fit yet, and the only thing that will get them to that stage is by giving them games, which is what we’re doing.

The signings we’ve brought in will only get better as well, which is great for us as we strive towards climbing up the league table and reaching the play-offs at the end of April.