JAMES Fry praised the strength of his dressing room after nine-man Alvechurch secured a hard-fought 1-0 win away at Stamford.
Kai Adan George’s late goal proved decisive at the Zeeco Stadium after Church had Jack Hallahan sent off early in the second half before Abel Alabi saw red late on.
Church have now won their last four matches in all competitions, recording back-to-back away wins and successive clean sheets for the first time this season.
Fry said: “Any win feels brilliant, it wasn’t quite the way we planned it but the boys have been digging in since I’ve been here.
“I can’t speak highly enough of how the lads are digging in and doing their out of possession jobs to the maximum.
“To come away from home to a place like Stamford and win one-nil is testament to what we’ve got in the dressing room.
“If we can add some more quality in possession, we’ll be a real threat, that’s all part of the process, we’re executing moments in the game.
“The foundation in this league is keeping your back door shut and putting your bodies on the line, that’s what we’ve tried to adjust and our defensive record is better, it’s about finding that balance now.
“It’s about the principles, my objective is to win every game, I understand we’re probably not going to win every single game but that process and those principles will always stay the same.”
After a goalless first half, Church lost Hallahan to a red card five minutes into the second period for a strong challenge on Michael Armstrong.
Church produced a superb defensive effort with 10-men as Brad Foster made a sensational save to keep out Ashton Offler’s acrobatic effort before a goalline clearance seconds later kept the scores level.
However, Church took the lead on 82 minutes when George took the ball around the goalkeeper before coolly finishing into the empty net from Jack Concannon’s defence-splitting pass.
Fry’s men then lost Alabi to another red card with one minute of regulation time left to play after the defender caught Harry Vince in his attempt to reach a loose ball.
Foster made another excellent save in eight minutes of stoppage time as Church saw out the game to secure an impressive victory.
Alvechurch are next in action at home to Leiston on Saturday, October 21 with kick-off at 3pm at Lye Meadow.
