Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale was pleased with how his side performed as they bounced back in the league to beat Stevenage 2-1 at St James Park.
A dominant City, for the majority of the match, went ahead through Lloyd James before Pierce Sweeney added a second for the Grecians.
Matt Godden pulled a goal back late on for Stevenage which meant Tisdale’s side had to hold out and defend resolutely going into the final moments of the match.
Nonetheless, Tis praised what was a good day for City as they moved to third in Sky Bet League Two. He said: “It was a good, thorough performance, a useful three points.
“I thought we were in control today, but it shows that one goal can lead to two and they came very close to getting a second.
“That was a 95% very good performance. The opposition are entitled to have a go as well, at 2-0 down they had nothing to lose. They made some changes and they were a bit more attacking.
“The ball goes in the net and then you’ve got a nervy last few minutes. The players did extremely well, they defended and they got to the ball. They were tough, bright with their play, they played forward and I thought we played really well today.”
Tis also praised Christy Pym for an excellent save when he palmed a Joe Martin effort onto the crossbar.
He continued: “That was a terrific save, he saw it very late, everyone played their part. It started with an energy and a vigour that got us on top of them.
“It was about getting to the ball first and being tough and I have to say that no matter who we play, no matter the conditions, we’ve got to start with that.”
Tis was also keen to stress that all eyes are focused on the league campaign, despite the excitement of an FA Cup third round tie with West Bromwich Albion.
He said: “Five league games, that’s 15 points before the FA Cup game and that speaks for itself. There is plenty of opportunity for us to try to get ourselves into the top three come the beginning of the second half of the season.”
With City now going into a busy festive schedule, Tis says his side will take each game as they come as they try to keep themselves in the automatic promotion places.
He said: “One game at a time, the players have got to redeem themselves a little bit. They’ve had a couple of average away performances and I think they need to show me some consistency over the next three games. We have to look to play with that kind of intent and purpose every game.”