LOWESTOFT Town joint manager Ady Gallagher has hailed the spirit of his Blues squad after registering their first win in the Ryman Premier Division against AFC Hornchurch.

LOWESTOFT Town joint manager Ady Gallagher has hailed the spirit of his Blues squad after registering their first win in the Ryman Premier Division against AFC Hornchurch.

Gallagher praised the Blues for a 'a hard fought win against a tough side' - and believes the victory tees them up perfectly for this weekend's match against Kent outfit Margate at Crown Meadow (3pm).

After being outplayed in the opening day defeat to Carshalton Athletic, the pressure was on Town's squad to show they could cope with the demands of step three football on Tuesday evening.

But their midweek showing will have gone a long way to allaying the fears of the Lowestoft fans, who saw Jamie Godbold and Matt Halliday grab the goals in a 2-0 win.

Gallagher heaped praise on his men for the way they bounced back from Saturday's disappointment.

'It was a really hard fought win against a tough side,' said Gallagher. 'We created good chances in both halves and ran out worthy winners.

'We looked a bit anxious before we scored.

'I think we were controlling the play but while it's 0-0 coming off the back of a defeat it was important that we believed in ourselves again.

'Jamie always pops up when it really matters. It was a great first goal and I think everyone relaxed from then onwards.'

The one black mark on the evening was Dale Cockrill's 75th minute dismissal for what was deemed by the referee as a reckless challenge although it didn't stop Lowestoft adding to their lead through substitute Halliday, who scored with his first touch.

'Normally when you've got a 6ft 5ins centre half you expect him to go and win a header in the box from a corner but to drift in around the back and smash one in like that was fantastic.

'He deserves credit - he's had to wait for his chance and he has come on in midfield and he's epitomised what this club is all about.

'He knows that he will get his chance and it's up to players to take their chance when they are given it.'

Gallagher added of Cockrill's dismissal: 'I thought it was an incredibly harsh decision for a player that's had three bookings from all of last season.

'I just felt that the referee wanted to affect the game in some way.'