DAVID CUFFLEY City boss Peter Grant said he had aged 30 years in the last five minutes of their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace - but he was in no doubt that they deserved three points.

DAVID CUFFLEY

City boss Peter Grant said he had aged 30 years in the last five minutes of their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace - but he was in no doubt that they deserved three points.

He said: “I was 42 up to the last five minutes and I ended up being 72. We still don't know at that important time of the game just to play the game simple, keep in your areas of the pitch.

“There are still things to be worked on. But, all in all, I'm absolutely delighted with three points because that's what we're in the game for - to win.

“I know our record's not been that great against Crystal Palace over the years, so all in all, I thought we deserved to win the game.

“We know we can play much better but if someone had said to me 'You'll not play well but you'll get the three points' I'd have taken that before the game started.”

Grant said his players' attacking instincts had left them vulnerable in the closing stages.

He said: “There is always a nervousness creeps in. That is why I was on the side of the pitch, saying to the guys with the experience of Darel Russell, Darel is still wanting to run forward and score another goal, Lee Croft has gone away out left, we end up with five up the pitch one of the times, the full-backs are still bombing on - Adam Drury does an overlap, Jon Otsemobor does an overlap.

“I want to be positive, but I want to be thinking at the same time. Nobody else, I don't care whether it's the Premier League or the Championship, would do that. But it's just the enthusiasm and the drive that sometimes costs us dearly, because they work very hard but they don't think as hard, and they could cut that down and make life easier for us.

“I understand that, when there's a nervousness, you just want to win the game, and they have been desperate to do that and they are still desperate to put on a right good performance.”