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Ebbsfleet United boss Kevin Watson saw his team win ugly against Chorley on Saturday – and didn’t mind one bit.
The Fleet rode their luck at times late on against the National League’s bottom side but Watson’s side showed plenty of heart to get the three points.
"We won ugly,” said Watson, who saw Fleet keeper David Gregory save an 89th-minute penalty.
“I don’t think it was a penalty, he pulled his foot away and put his arms up in the air. I may be completely wrong and if I am, then I’ll hold my hands up but my initial thoughts were it wasn’t a penalty.
“He’s made a hell of a save, right in the bottom corner and he’s got his wrist down and palmed it away. Then the other one was superb as well.
“We rode our luck in the last 10 minutes but when you’re hanging on and desperate to get over the line, sometimes that happens.
“I wasn’t particularly pleased with the defending in the last 10 minutes but it doesn’t matter – we’re three points closer.
“Conditions were terrible. You didn’t realise from the main stand how windy it was until you go out there.
“It was always going to be nervy; it was two teams at the bottom both fighting for their lives.”
The wind and rain meant pretty football was never going to be the order of the day.
It was all about the result for Watson, who told his squad to buy their keeper a couple of diet cokes for his efforts!
“I’m not sure what people expected, they were difficult conditions,” said Watson. “We didn’t play particularly well with the wind behind us in the second half and I don’t think they did with the wind behind them. Both teams did a bit better against the wind.
“It’s a great finish by Kingy from the free-kick. If I’m being a little picky, we knew that Chorley like to be expansive and play but on the turnover there are gaps to exploit. We just didn’t quite have the quality to break them down, whether that was a cross, a shot or a final pass.
“I’m delighted with the result, extremely difficult conditions, but it’s never going to be pretty when you’re in a scrap and fighting for your lives.
“I said to the players go and buy your goalkeeper a couple of diet cokes because the penalty save was outstanding and then he made another one which was outstanding.
“We rode our luck last 15 minutes but perhaps we deserve a little bit of luck. To a man our application and effort was superb.
“One of only three games on, the pitch is difficult at the best of times but their effort, desire and application got us over the line.”
It means Ebbsfleet are now five points from safety with Chesterfield – the team immediately above them in the table – next on their schedule.
Watson added: “It’s a scrap. It’s going to be a scrap for the remaining 12 games and we’ve got to be up for it. That needs to give us heart, we’re unbeaten in the last four league games.
“I’m delighted for the lads, the playing staff, the coaching staff, the club doctor and the director of football who was in the dressing room at the end. We are as one trying our best to get out of it.
“Chorley was the biggest one, Chesterfield is the next biggest one and then after that game is done then the next match will be the biggest one. That’s how it is now.
“We’ve set little targets for where we need to be after which game but most importantly the next game at Chesterfield is huge.”
