Assistant manager Cliff Byrne was full of praise for the Rovers squad after ending a difficult week with a hard-fought three points at Tranmere Rovers.
An illness in the camp forced the closure of the Cantley Park training ground in the build-up to the game, with full training reduced to a single session.
But there were few signs that Rovers were undercooked as they surged into a two-goal lead before holding on under intense pressure after Tranmere reduced the deficit with 20 minutes remaining.
“We only trained one day this week because we had an illness that we felt we wanted to protect the rest of the group from,” Byrne said. “So we only trained Monday and arrived for the game on Friday.
“I think that laboured on a few of the lads, but you wouldn’t have seen that.
“It’s a credit to the players because they’ve had to look after themselves away from the training ground and be professional with fluid intake, recovery and everything that goes with it.
“We turned up at Tranmere, on a fantastic surface by the way. Credit to the groundstaff in the conditions we had. And it was a right good game. It was a difficult game against a difficult Tranmere team that are strong at home.
“There were times when we got the lucky break and a lucky block here and there but I believe that if you go out with the right intentions, they’re the rewards that you get.”
Goals from Harrison Biggins and Mo Faal had Rovers in a commanding position before the hour mark but Tranmere piled on the pressure following Connor Jennings’ strike on 70 minutes.
Byrne was delighted with the steel showed by the side in the late stages to hold onto the lead.
He said: “We changed one or two things personnel-wise to combat what they had done because they brought on three really strong players in the forward positions.
“We felt we needed to nullify that and wrestle back control of the game which I felt we did towards the end of the game.”
