Joint-managers Lou Barry and Josh Oldfield were delighted as Northampton Town ground-out a 2-0 win at home to Mansfield Town in the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Premier Division on Sunday.
Alex Dicks and Leah Cudone scored late goals to swing a scrappy but one-sided game in the Cobblers’ favour.
Oldfield says winning was his main focus going into the match.
“Getting three points is the most important thing and today was a must-win,” he said.
“We weren’t at our best and we’re not proud of the quality of our football, but ultimately it’s three points on the board.
“We showed another way of winning today and I couldn’t be happier with the character of the team.”
Barry was pleased with how his side kept pushing forward in a game of few chances.
“The result meant so much to us, which put the pressure on us and that showed,” he added.
“We didn’t create a great deal in the first 60 or 70 minutes, but we didn’t panic.
“We kept doing the right things and were successful eventually.”
Sunday’s victory follows wins in the reverse fixture on Tuesday and the Northamptonshire FA Women’s Cup final last week.
Oldfield praised the mentality of his squad, saying: “Huge credit to the girls who have come out of such an intense week with three wins.
“They’ve shown great character, desire and commitment.
“We’ve got a big end of the season coming up, but we’ll put ourselves in the best possible position to reach our goals if we carry on as we are.”
The Cobblers are now one point behind top-of-the-table Chesterfield with three games in hand and four remaining in the season.
They host Rise Park on Thursday and title rivals Lincoln United on Sunday, and Barry is looking forward to two more important fixtures in his side’s promotion push.
“We don’t really look at who we’re playing in terms of where they are and what they’re doing because there’s no point in overthinking things at the moment,” he added.
“Six points are on offer next week and we have our targets, so we’re going to go out there to try to win.
“Rise Park will be a challenge because they’re difficult to play against, and Lincoln will believe they can challenge us at the top, so it’ll be a great game.”