A win that Witton deserved?

I think so.

We did enough in the first-half to have been in front and were unlucky not to be.

We got into the final third often and you could see how many deliveries we put in from wide positions, particularly through Danny McKenna, and there was a great effort from Rob Hopley when his header hit the crossbar.

We were positive from the start and we wanted to put them under pressure but we just fell short when it came to getting our noses in front.

The second-half was a bit different because we got a lucky break from the own goal.

They took the game to us after that, and we had to battle against the wind too.

Our defending was really good though; we were excellent out of possession and the back four stayed strong and solid.

We had to battle, but the most important thing was to get back on track.

On closing out the game

A clean-sheet is so important.

It was in the back of my mind that we’d conceded late goals in three of the past four home games and I was wondering if we’d get hit with another sucker punch.

But we managed to see it through with some great defending.

We had our moments in their half as well; Danny [McKenna] had a couple of shots, and the goalkeeper fumbled one of them, while Tom Owens worked ever so hard to break lines and get forward.

Northwich Guardian:

Danny McKenna shapes to shoot at goal during Witton Albion's 1-0 win against Matlock Town in the Northern Premier League at Wincham Park on Saturday. Picture: Karl Brooks Photography

Danny McKenna’s return

It’s a huge lift for us to have him available again.

He gives us balance because he’s a natural wide player who can drift inside or dribble past a defender on the outside.

There is composure on the ball too; he doesn’t panic and knows when it’s the right time to play or take on somebody.

It’s rare to see him give possession away cheaply and he’s improving all the time.

Finding home comfort

I have to be honest, I hadn’t noticed that it had been so long since we won here [at Wincham Park].

The same probably goes for the players.

My explanation for that is we’ve been in so many games that have been tight, and our performances have been good, so maybe that’s why it’s not entered our thinking.

We’ve gone toe-to-toe with teams and been hit a couple of times in the last minute.

We’d have taken a positive result, whether that’s a win or a draw, from the games against Bamber Bridge, Warrington and Farsley Celtic had they not scored right at the end.

Northwich Guardian:

Will Jones and Anthony Gardner both attempt to reach a ball crossed into Matlock Town's penalty area during Witton Albion's 1-0 win at Wincham Park on Saturday. Picture: Karl Brooks Photography

On Albion’s position in the table

We’re looking over our shoulder, that’s the reality and how we’ll continue to look at it for the time being.

We know it’s important to collect points and to put together a run of positive results so that we can put as much distance as we can between ourselves and the relegation zone.

I don’t know how many points will be enough to consider ourselves safe because there are so many teams currently in the battle.

That’s a good thing though, and speaks volumes for how competitive this division is.

Where from here?

I hope the lads take confidence from a win.

They’ve played so well in the past four games and still been getting beat which can affect you.

That’s normal and you can keep going over things because you feel you ought to have got something.

We’ll just keep trying to reach this level as performance as often as we can.