HEYBRIDGE Swifts boss Cliff Akurang hailed his side's 4-3 win over high-flying Aveley as the best game of his reign.
Swifts returned to Scraley Road for the first time in 2015 and played out a seven-goal thriller to come from behind, with Billy Hunt and Reece Morgan scoring deep into stoppage time
After two straight defeats Heybridge had dropped down the Ryman North table but Akurang admits it was by far the best performance he's seen from his side since taking charge in December.
"I was absolutely delighted just with the way the boys dug in until the end because it seemed it was going away from us but they didn't give up and went right until the end," said Akurang. "I said to them before the game to respect their [Aveley] position in the table and we're at the wrong end of the table, so I emphasised that they shouldn't give up and we saw, for a large portion of the game, why they were at the top.
"They are a really efficient team, but the fact that we stayed in it and made sure that we were a hair's breadth from getting something out of the game meant we were always in with a shout.
"It was definitely my best game since taking charge and it was a rollercoaster of emotions.
"It's a bit of a new team, a few people hadn't played with each other before and they went through everything in one game that you would go through in the season.
"The fact they bonded together was very pleasing because after the game you could see how pleased they were and how happy they were, they've got their mate alongside them that they can trust through thick and thin.
"The positive side for our team is they're young, fearless and they managed to sniff out a bit of blood and went for the kill."
Swifts have only played two games at home since Akurang came in but he is hoping that this win can be a springboard for their season.
"At home I wanted to go out to try to attack and get some goals because we want to make it a bit of a fortress if we can," he said.
"I think every club wants to make their home ground a fortress so the intention was to go out there and get some goals and, with the help of the fans, we put pressure on Aveley and made it awkward for them to come to our ground and play their game.
"The record's not great, but under me we're unbeaten at home and that's something we want to build on and carry on."
This Saturday Swifts host Waltham Abbey, kick-off 3pm.
