Ady Gallagher says Lowestoft Town have shown they will not be bullied off the park after picking up another hard-earned three points at Heybridge Swifts.

Ady Gallagher says Lowestoft Town have shown they will not be bullied off the park after picking up another hard-earned three points at Heybridge Swifts.

The league leaders have come in for some rough stuff from opponents in the past few weeks and Saturday was no exception with centre back Matt Halliday forced off in the first minute after a bad tackle.

But joint boss Gallagher says his players will not be unsettled as they continue their surge for the Ryman League Division One North title.

A hundred Blues' fans made the trip down the A12 to back their team and Gallagher was delighted with their fantastic support and with the win, thanks to goals from Andrew Fisk, Neil Plaskett and Gary McGee, which maintains the Blues' commanding 12-point advantage at the top of the table.

“It was a very good performance,” he said. “The first half was very even. They set their stall out and once again a first-minute challenge on Hallers meant he had to be taken off. A tackle like that at any other time of the game would have been a red card.

“In two out of the last three games we've lost someone in the first minute to over-the-top tackles. One went unpunished and the other one got a booking.

“I think some sort of rough-house tactics have been used on us in the last two or three games, and teams want to unsettle us a little bit.

“But I felt despite that, Matty Potter came on and we regrouped and put in a solid first half performance and nicked in front.

“In the second half we very much controlled the game and after they had a lad sent off late on we could have gone on to score more goals.

“It was a good all-round performance, particularly how we ground them down and took advantage of the situation.”

To add to Halliday's knock, the Blues were without a raft of players through injuries including skipper Greg Crane and midfielders Gary Holt, Jamie Godbold and Scott Mitchell.

But Gallagher says replacements have come in and proved their worth.

“It was a good result against a decent side when you consider the amount of injuries we've got,” he said.

“Craney missed the game yesterday and with others out, I think players who have come in over the last few games have been waiting for their chance all season and they taken them, they've been fantastic for us.”

The Blues can enjoy a week off now to recover as their next game is not until Saturday when they host Ware at the Crown Meadow.