Relieved boss McDonald feels Kettering Town deserved their last-gasp winner
Liam McDonald felt his Kettering Town team deserved their last-gasp moment of glory in Saturday's crucial 2-1 win over Worcester City in the Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central.
The Poppies looked to be on the way to dropping two precious points in their bid for a play-off place as they were tied at 1-1 deep into time added on at the end of the game.
But up popped Blaine Rowe to score a dramatic goal and win the match with a close-range header four minutes into stoppage time, sparking wild celebrations on and off the pitch at Latimer Park.
And with results elsewhere going their way, Rowe's goal could be a massive moment in Kettering's season, as with rivals Halesowen Town and Redditch United both losing, the Poppies leapfrogged them both to go fourth, a point clear of Needham Market in sixth.
The Worcester encounter was the first of three massive matches at Latimer Park in the space of eight days, with seventh-placed Redditch in town on Tuesday night (ko 7.45pm) and Halesowen the visitors on Saturday!
Two wins from those two encounters and a play-off place will be guaranteed, but McDonald isn't getting too far ahead of himself, and was just delighted to get the result against Worcester - even though it was a bit too close for comfort.
"As a manager, you want to win the game comfortably and if we had been 4-0 up I would have been happy," said McDonald.
"But it's a special moment when you score a 94th-minute winner, and I think we deserved it.
"I am critical and honest with performances, but I think in the second half we pinned them in and Whitey (Paul White) has not had a save to make.
"Without troubling their keeper too much, we were quite aggressive in the final third, and although we weren't at our best we have got over the line.
"Worcester were good in the first half, and then we got a goal out of nothing through Eddie (Panter).
"I did have to have words with certain players at half-time, but we had a reaction.
"We end up scoring late, results go our way, and we end up fourth in the table.
"I know we might not be the entertaining, top of the league sort of team, but it's all the hard work that goes in and I think everybody at the football club should be proud.
"The one thing we wanted was to build a team that the supporters can be proud of, and they are."
If the Poppies do manage to finish fourth or fifth and claim a play-off place, then they will travel to either Spalding United or Real Bedford in the semi-finals, with Harborough Town having been confirmed as champions on Saturday.