Bury Town boss, Ben Chenery, insisted that his side’s Boxing Day 2-1 victory over Soham Town Rangers was a “very important win” going into a busy New Year.
High-flying Bury, third in the Isthmian League North table with just two league defeats all season, secured all three points thanks to an 83rd minute winner from midfielder Jake Chambers-Shaw against 10-man Soham.
Earlier, the visitors had been reduced to 10 men by centre-half Lloyd Groves' 19th minute dismissal, with leading scorer Cemal Ramadan dispatching the resultant penalty.
Sam Mulready curled home a delightful equaliser, just before half-time, but dominant Bury eventually emerged victorious.
"That's a match we would probably only have drawn last season," admitted Chenery.
"I thought we were very good for the first 20 minutes. We were on the front foot and the tempo was high. Their player (Lloyd Groves) has then made a rash decision in terms of striking out at Ollie Hughes and was rightly sent off.
"But for the next 10 minutes we dipped below our standards, and they scored a really good goal.
"However, we were calm at half-time. We knew that if we moved the ball quickly and created overloads, then we would have a good chance of getting the winner.
"Soham sat in and I thought we fully controlled the game. We didn't panic, and there was no reason to, unlike perhaps maybe before (last season).
"We know how we play, and we trust in each other. The players know that a misplaced pass is not a crime, because if you are trying to move the ball then that sometimes happens.
"I'm pleased for Jake Chambers-Shaw. He kept probing and he got his goal. He kept plugging away.
"There was a lot of emotion when he scored. You could feel it in the crowd, and it was a big lift for us.
"This was a very important win, because we are coming to the business part of the season, believe it or not.
"You come through December and we are facing a really busy month in January.
"We've got to put points on the board and today was a really good result. I felt we were far superior to the opposition," added Chenery.
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