IT'S too damn easy when we win! We live our football lives in the hope that we will be rewarded with games like last Saturday’s win over Bristol City.

If you support one of the billionaire clubs you have to win trophies to feel as good as we felt. Support from the South Stand was simply magnificent, hitting the heights that we have not heard since the famous night when we came from behind to beat Gillingham on the day Paul Lambert left the club and Joe Dunne took the reins for the first time, as caretaker.

On the pitch we won two distinct battles, an attacking one as we repeatedly outmanoeuvred Bristol City’s narrow defence to establish a 3-0 lead, and a defensive one as we held on to the lead despite City coming out for the second half like scalded tigers, and getting two goals at just the right times via long range bombardment.

The heroic second half performance came at the end of a run of five games on each Tuesday and Saturday for the last 18 days. The sequence followed the brave draw on Bradford City’s bog of a pitch, and included arduous trips to Sheffield United and Oldham, and horrible home games against Crewe and MKD.

Against this backdrop I asked Tony Humes the £64,000 question. After that five-game sequence, was he surprised that the players still had survived with enough belief and energy to produce Saturday’s outstanding performance?

Tony provided the answer: “We know that the players have got a lot about them. We are asking them week in week out to build their characters to get through tough times. It was tough out there for the last half hour. The amount of games takes its toll but they are digging in.

“We haven’t made many changes and all our players have played lots of minutes in the last two and a half weeks. The win will give them confidence that they can do it. No excuses, that’s their job.”

That answer explains that the current players are meeting the high expectations expected of them, and tells you why one or two who haven’t met that standard have to be discarded, irrespective of the level of natural talent.

The youngsters have got character in bundles. Lapslie and Szmodics to the extent that they both went into challenges in the last two games that could easily have resulted in a visit to hospital, (and in Sammie’s case did), because they refuse to be beaten.

Macauley Bonne no less. No grumping and griping about non-selection, just getting on with it. Character and enthusiasm has got them to where they are and could get them further. The youngsters are showing the bravery and responsibility that is needed, and the confidence that good support gives.

Steve Cotterill’s after-match comments were disturbing. He was buzzing around like a killer bee, and it will have been a brave man that sat next to him on the bus for the long miles back to Bristol.

A manager of his experience needs to have a better coping mechanism than a ridiculous deflection of blame onto the pitch and the match officials. His behaviour towards the referee was reportedly disgraceful, but more private.

The Season Ticket holders’ forum with Robbie Cowling and Tony Humes was scheduled for Thursday night. The win over Bristol City said more than 10,000 words from Robbie and Tony.

In the language of Jose Mourinho, I hope the answer to most questions was something like “3, 14, 26, 76 and 89”. (The timings of goals 1, 2 and 3, Clohessy’s last ditch tackle, and THAT last minute challenge by Lapslie which I am convinced preserved the three points).