IF you like your footballing emotions in the form of a rollercoaster, then Saturday’s win at Alfreton would have been right up your alley.

The game had a bit of everything from an annoying early goal conceded through to real grit, determination and cool heads when it mattered. For the first time this season on the road in the league, we managed to dig ourselves out of the hole we had made for ourselves and we got a result that we actually deserved.

Conceding so early was frustrating. Three minutes on the clock with the ball in open play and from nowhere a midfielder pops up to head home pretty much unchallenged.

You’d normally say it couldn’t be made up but it has been a regular occurrence on our travels this season. While there was a lack of a glaring individual error which makes a pleasant change, collectively we switched off allowing Conor Branson to turn up in the box and score.

You couldn’t be blamed for thinking here we go again. The first half was a pretty typical Darlo away performance this season. The midfield, with Omar Holness as an extra man, battled well against the latest incarnation of a Billy Heath rugby team, but in front of them was little happening and behind them there was a sense that our defence was there for the taking, especially at set-pieces. The lack of organising at set-pieces was a real eye opener, it looked like nobody was taking a lead to make sure everyone was marked up. Alun Armstrong mentioned in his post-match interview that he gave the players a good telling off at half time and to be fair it was justified.

Whatever was said in the dressing room at half time clearly had an impact. The second 45 minutes was exactly what we want to see on a more regular basis. The defence shaped up. The midfield kept battling. We shut down everything Alfreton had to offer with a bit more urgency and the home side couldn’t respond.

It’s one thing stopping the opposition scoring, but we also had to do the business at the other end too. As the half passed by, the worry was we wouldn’t take the chances that were coming on an increasingly frequent basis. Stephen Thompson’s free header was blocked on the line. Adam Campbell, having rounded the keeper, couldn’t then get around the covering defenders. It felt like it was going to be one of those days.

When it felt the game was slipping away from us, the cool heads finally prevailed. First, Campbell had the presence of mind when the ball fell to him in the box to stand the ball up to the back post for Tyrone O’Neill to head home. Then, when the home goalkeeper parried the ball Justin Donawa was the coolest of cucumbers to slot the rebound in. Donawa could have easily missed. A rush of blood to the head could have sent the ball flying over the bar. But he kept his nerve and, most importantly, kept his knee over the ball to make sure his finish was a simple but priceless pass into the back of the net. Cue the wildest celebrations I’ve seen in quite a while.

Over the course of 90 minutes, we deserved the win. The game plan for the second half worked a treat and we finally got some reward for the work put in. Obviously the players take the plaudits, but you’ve got to hand it to the gaffer. Whatever he said in the dressing room at half time resonated with the players. Then, when it looked like we were on a wild goose chase looking for the equaliser, he made the changes that swung the game, bringing on first Jarrett Rivers and then Donawa. Alfreton couldn’t cope with either of them. That we are able to bring game-changing players off the bench should serve as an indicator of the progress we have made under Alun Armstrong.