Highbury soccer coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi was pleased with his side's fighting spirit after they came from behind to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Leicesterford City in the Motsepe Foundation Championship at Nelson Mandela University on Sunday.
The Gqeberha-based side had to dig deep after going into the halftime break trailing 1-0, following an early goal from Mpho Mlangeni for the visitors.
Highbury showed character in the second half, with substitute Mervin Boji coming off the bench to score twice, turning the match around for the home side.
The victory was an important one for Vilakazi's troops as they had gone five league matches without a win, and were desperate to collect maximum points in front of their home supporters.
Speaking after the match, Vilakazi admitted that mistakes had been proving costly, despite their ability to dominate games
"We dominated the game, even in the first half," he said. "The only thing that let us down was the mistake we made, which gave the opposition an opportunity.
"We are the only ones who can help ourselves, and if we can minimise the number of mistakes and errors we make in games, we will get better results."
The former Chippa United mentor believes his team could have had better results in their previous matches had they been more disciplined and avoided unnecessary errors.
He pointed out that even in their previous away fixture, Highbury had done enough to win, but allowed their opponents back into the game through their own mistakes.
After going into the break behind, the coach said he challenged his players to raise their efforts and make sure they got back into the match.
"At halftime, I told the boys that we needed to double our efforts, equalise and also push for the winning goal," Vilakazi said.
"We were playing at home, and having already lost two games at home, we agreed in our team talk that this had to be the last time we lose at home.
"We need to show the same fighting spirit and commitment at home as we do when playing away".
Boji's contribution from the bench was another positive for the Highbury coach.
"I was also happy with the contribution of the players who came off the bench. They made a big impact on the game, and both goals came from a player who was introduced as a substitute.
"That is the kind of contribution we need from the entire squad."
The coach also believes his team cannot afford to lose sight of their bigger ambitions as the championship race continues.
With the three points taking Highbury to 15 points, Vilakazi knows there is still work to be done if they are to challenge for the top positions.
"Football is a marathon, and we need to keep working hard," he said.
"Other teams currently at the top of the table may eventually drop points, but when that happens, we must be ready and close enough to take advantage.
"I am happy that we have reached 15 points. It might not make a huge difference to our position on the log right now, but mathematically we are still in the race.
"If we win our next game, we can put ourselves right back in contention.
"Today's victory was very important, especially if we want to consider ourselves a team who are competing for the championship.
"We needed these three points, and I am very happy with the effort from the players.
"The team showed good tempo, worked hard for one another, and made sure we covered the ground for our teammates.
"It was not the prettiest second half, but we managed to penetrate successfully and get the result we wanted. I remain hopeful."
The Yellow Nation next play against North-West University away.
