St Albans City smiling after 3-2 win over Maidstone United

Saints won 3-2 at home to Maidstone United in National League South, good enough to stop their ever-quickening slide down the table.

They did it the hard way too, falling 2-1 down to two goals in two minutes, all after George Hoddle had put them in front.

However, second-half strikes from Shaun Jeffers and Jack James kept them six points away from the relegation zone, but just five  behind the play-off places.

And the manner of the success delighted the boss.

George Hoddle puts St Albans City in front against Maidstone. Picture: JIM STANDEN (Image: Jim Standen)

Noble said: "It was well needed and feels good. The boys are smiling and that's the most important thing.

"The performance had everything. We knew to turn the run around was going to take a hard-working performance.

"We didn't know it would take coming from behind but that was what we faced and we overcame it.

"It was a really good performance considering where we've been.

"And we created chances, we looked more of a threat than we have in previous weeks."

Saints had gone into the contest with plenty of injuries and picked up two more in this one, Gio Rasulo and Dylan Fage limping out.

But Noble was truly thankful for the effort that they, and others, managed despite not being at 100 per cent.

The boss said: "We've got two players that have done the full 90 who are really struggling.

"But where we are [with injuries], they have had to put a shift in and feel that bit of pain and run through it.

"It's difficult because I don't like asking people to do that, I wouldn't want to put someone through that.

"I just need them to give me what they can give me.

"A couple of times in recent weeks, they've not made the 90, we've had to make the subs and then we've had others going down.

"We had injuries here and I thought we still had Mitch [Weiss] and Sam [Brown] that are struggling.

"But they have sucked it up, gone through the pain barrier and given us a full 90.

"Everyone who was on that pitch has contributed to that performance."

Saints now have a free week before travelling to Plymouth to take on Truro City, one of the bottom four.

The extra training sessions and time to rest is needed too.

Noble said: "When we train, we put everything into the sessions that we feel is right, whether it is tactical, technical or physical.

"We have to be aware that at the minute we are down the bare bones. The people that we need to wrap in cotton wool, we will, and the others will get a bit of work in.

"But we have two training sessions to look at Truro and a chance for people to get back."