After the disappointment of losing to FC Halifax in the FA Trophy, what a great way to bounce back – in a high-pressured six-pointer away to AFC Telford.

We set off at 9.15am, thinking we’d be there in plenty of time, but news started filtering through that the M1 was shut after a 40-car pile-up. We tried to go on the M40 but a fatal accident meant that was shut.

We were starting to wonder whether all this was a sign.

Tony Burman came to the back and said we might have to get changed on the bus. Our new loan signing, Tom Dallison, looked at me – he must have been thinking ‘is this for real?’

We finally reached the stadium, got changed quickly and went out for our warm-up. How nice it felt to be on grass!

Telford started fast, knowing that we’d been stuck on the coach in traffic. But we came into the game and looked dangerous going forward. I could hear the groans and feel the tension from the Telford supporters, while our fans started getting louder as the confidence grew.

In football they say the first goal is crucial – and we got it.

Telford needed a lifeline after that and the referee gave them one. Elliot Bradbrook saw the ball out with a good old shoulder-to-shoulder but the ref deemed it to be a penalty.

As the arguing was going on, I was just focusing on their player – in terms of his body shape and which way his run-up was going to be – to give me a slight indication as to where he was going to place the penalty. As he started his run, I knew where he was going and I guessed right. He put it to my left, but the ball hit the top of my thumb and it went in.

Going into the changing-room at half-time it wasn’t the time to feel hard done-by. We knew we were in a game but there was something there for us.

Telford were on the back foot at the start of the second half. The ref and his assistants were making some strange decisions and that got the crowd irate as well as the players. Tackles were flying in and one of their players was sent off after catching Lee Noble in the face.

We retook the lead while we were on top but yet again shot ourselves in the foot by conceding from a corner.

After that, they did what any team down to 10 men would do. They went narrow and made it hard for us to break them down.

But we got the luck we deserved when a cross went through their keeper’s hands and hit one of his defenders before dropping into the net. Seeing it roll in had me doing cartwheels.

In the last few minutes, Pughy played into the ref’s hands by not retreating when told to. He sent Pughy off.

Back in the changing room there was a sense of relief. We’d managed to win despite all that had gone against us, from a lack of preparation to the ref's performance.

A couple of weeks ago people were probably looking at the table and saying we were dead. But now, after that win and a few teams around us lacking form, we have more than a fighting chance.

I believe 45 points will be enough. We have 14 games to go and six more wins would keep us up.

Read Jason Brown's exclusive column every Thursday in the Dartford Messenger.