*BS*CLIVE WALKER last night chilled out with a glass of his almost trademark dry white wine to toast a hard-fought three points at Croydon.

*BF*There is no doubt that the performance was not of the highest standard from his men, but at least they showed a battling spirit to grab victory at a difficult venue.

Conditions were not easy under foot on a bobbly pitch, making it difficult for either side to play decent football.

And a dull game, as well as the ice cold temperatures, made for painful viewing for the fans.

But, at least, goals from Craig Cloke and Jimmy Dryden gave supporters some warm moments of quality to look back on.

Clive said: “It was a hard-fought win. There are not going to be many teams in this division who come away from here with three points.

“The game was poor and our performance was not up to the standards we expect, but that happens at these kind of places where conditions are difficult.

“But the team found a way through and we’re delighted to have got the three points.

“We’ve got a good record away from home this season so it was nice to keep that going. To win a league, you have to pick up points everywhere. It’s very early days at the moment with so many games left.”

Midfielder Danny Chapman, who is close to returning to action and could be back within the next couple of weeks, thought his team-mates made hard work of winning.

He said: “I thought we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure at times. We just lack that bit of communication on the pitch at times – but hopefully I will be back to help in that department soon.”

*BS*CLIVE gives a full reaction to the 2-0 win at Croydon on DAFCtv, being screened from Wednesday night.