Southend United manager Phil Brown admitted his side were lucky to see off York City 1-0 at Roots Hall.
An 88th-minute penalty from substitute Shaq Coulthirst secured the Shrimpers a third successive win.But Brown felt struggling York deserved to get something out of the game.
"York showed what a decent side they are and it's crazy they're third from bottom," the Blues boss said.
"They haven't been getting what they deserved and they didn't here either because they deserved to win. I think it's the first time since I've been here that we've played ugly and won and it was a big relief to get the three points.
"In truth, the performance was unacceptable and too many of the players were below par.
"But the subs made a massive impact when they came on, none more so than Shaq.
"He showed real enthusiasm and also real bottle to step up and take that penalty."