Micky Adams praised the spirit of his Tranmere Rovers side as they beat Portsmouth 3-1 at Prenton Park for their first win in 14 league games.
Shamir Fenelon gave the home side the perfect start with a second-minute opener, only for Portsmouth top-scorer Jed Wallace to level on ten minutes after half-time.However James Rowe fired Tranmere back in front before Max Power tucked away the rebound after his 78th-minute penalty was saved following Wallace's foul on Fenelon as the hosts won their first league game since August.
Rovers are still in the relegation zone but manager Adams insists the only way is up for his struggling side from here on out.
"I was really pleased with the bravery that we showed on the ball," he said.
"When you're at the bottom of the table you can get nervous and I thought that to a man everybody wanted the ball and showed a lot of character.
"The players were excellent and we responded in the right manner.
"Pompey had a spell when they were on top and but James Rowe came up with a screamer. It was a fantastic finish.
"There is a lot of hard work to be done on the training ground but we are not too far away from the teams we need to chase.
"We have a lot to look forward to now going into two cup games.
"This win gives everybody a boost and the fans were terrific for us. Hopefully we can get a bit more confidence now and kick on."