PHIL Simkin hailed the influence of Ashley Nicholls after Dorchester got back to winning ways in Blue Square Bet South on Saturday.

When Maidenhead United went ahead early on, the Town fans must have feared the worst but their side produced a remarkable comeback to record their first away league victory since September 1.

Simkin, whose side now lie ninth, told Echosport: “That was one of the best performances of the season regardless of being home or away.

“We have had a few problems away from home and that just made the victory even sweeter.

“We went one down after three minutes but came back and played some really good football with Ashley Nicholls once again pulling the strings.

“It was a great win against a side that are very good at home and after the 4-0 defeat at Havant & Waterlooville in midweek it is amazing how football turns.”

Simkin made three changes to his starting XI for the clash with Arran Pugh, Lewis Morgan and Sam Malsom all being drafted in and it clearly paid dividends.

The Dorchester boss added: “We knew what they had and we set up in a certain way to combat that and it proved to be the right way.

“We rested Nathan Walker and brought in Arran, who did well, and Lewis came back and was outstanding in the midfield. He ran out of steam in the second half but the way he breaks up things for us is really important in terms of the way we play.

“We could have even scored a couple more but I am not concerned about that. We got the result and that is all that matters as we look to start moving back up the table.”

Next up for the Magpies is a double-header against Luton Town in the first round of the FA Trophy and the second round of the FA Cup.

Simkin went on to say: “With two massive games coming up, it was vital we got that result to give us a bit of momentum.”