Andy Butler praised the efforts of his Belles squad after they won 3-1 at home to Long Eaton United on Wednesday night.
Goals from Nadia Khan, Jasmine Saxton and Chloe Bethell saw the Belles pick up three points at Oxford Street in the FAWNL Division One Midlands, and Butler was quick to acknowledge his side’s commitment to the cause.
“It’s another important three points, we spoke to the players straight after the game and we appreciate that days like that are very long ones for them, with rushing back from jobs and schools, but the effort they put in has been brilliant,” he said.
“The conditions were tough to play in, but you learn to win different games by different methods and they really dug in, it got a bit edgy when they got a goal back but they showed a lot of grit and determination to win the game.
“The third goal I was pleased with as it showed a lot of quality, it was a lovely ball through from Kirsty Smith and then Chloe’s showed composure to score and win the game for us so it’s a big positive for us.”
The Belles mid-week win over Long Eaton was their third league victory in a row, lifting them up to seventh in the table, and Butler says the girls are starting to show another side to their play.
“We’ve said to the girls if you keep winning then it becomes a habit, that’s what we want to do, we’re all here to do things right, we’ll come back in on Thursday, Sophie Evans is doing a nutritional meeting and we’ll recover well ready to go again,” he added.
“The girls showed another side to themselves after conceding the goal, they didn’t let their heads drop and they managed the game really well, it was never going to be a spectacle because of the conditions but they ground it out.
“We’ve got players in this team that are all knocking on the door after putting in some great performances and that makes it difficult for me and Nick, but that’s just what we want, we want players to come in and do that.”