MARK Molesley was delighted with a clean sheet and three points from a hard-earned, slender 1-0 victory over an experienced Welling side who appeared to become more resilient once they had been reduced to 10 men just half an hour into the game.

The Terras’ boss admitted his charges had “lacked energy” in the two previous away games and further frustration had been rising in this battle before one moment of quality decided it when substitute Brett Williams popped up with a 75th minute winner, following in a terrific strike by Jake McCarthy that had been parried by keeper Dan Wilks.

He said: “We started the game really well and I was really pleased with the performance overall.

“We caused them a lot of problems and they started to get a little frustrated.

“Then their red card came and it gave them a bit more of a definitive game plan, sitting with two banks of four – so if anything it made it more difficult for us.

“We had all the play but it was dry and bobbly out there and it was difficult to get clean strikes in while they flooded key areas of the box and we had a number of blocked shots and crosses.

“We had to stay patient, keep believing and we needed that bit of quality with Jake McCarthy’s great strike and Brett was in the right place at the right time.”

The manager was also pleased with the contributions of the two new signings Lionel Ainsworth and, in particular, centre-back Shaun Hobson, describing the latter as, “a fantastic addition who has made a big difference.”

Now, ahead of a welcome mid-week break from action before a trip to St. Albans on Saturday, Molesley assured fans that his side, occupying a creditable seventh place after ten games, won’t be getting ahead of themselves.

“We still have definite areas to improve, so we will continue to strive to be the best we can and we won’t be getting carried away,” he insisted.