Selston boss urges his side to use battling narrow loss at leaders Loughborough Students as a platform for survival

“We showed some real character and I have told the lads to now use that as a platform to kick on and build on,” said Weston.

“They need to use that as their base that you have to produce that level of discipline and fight every week without a shadow of a doubt.

“I was really pleased with the performance – we dug in.”

Selston were rocked on seven minutes as Max Smallcombe’s shot was saved but Dylan Edwards pounced on the rebound, lifting it over the keeper to tap home.

Selston then had their moments before Dom Forbes sealed the win on 90+1 after a goalmouth scramble from Finlay Brennan's free kick.

“We conceded the second in 90+1 but we were well in the game up until then and with a little bit of luck going our way we could have got a point,” said Weston.

“Compared to the Newark game where we let ourselves down, especially second half, and didn't defend well enough, I was very pleased.

“We had one or two players missing through one thing or another.

“And we were up against a very good footballing side. A lot of teams have been steamrollered by them, but we didn't get steamrollered at all – far from it.”

He added: “It was encouraging and will give the lads a lot of confidence going into the Melton game on Saturday.

“We do have a bit of pace going forward now and if we can catch teams on the hop that is where we will pick our points up.

“They scored early with a corner routine that caught us out a little bit which was a bit of a blow. But I said to the lads before if we do concede don't start losing your shape or discipline and they stuck to that which was pleasing.”

Luck tends not to favour bottom-placed sides and Weston said:“I don't like to moan about officials, but we had one or two offside decisions that went against us when we were pushing for an equaliser which was a bit frustrating. We needed a bit of luck and we knew they were really tight decisions, but they went against us.

“But we looked threatening on the break and we had a couple of good chances we didn't take.

“But the most important thing was that come 90 minutes we were still in the game.

“The second goal was really disappointing as it was a sloppy one, but until then we had defended for our lives and really put our bodies on the line which is what we have to produce week in week out to start climbing up the league.”

It does not get any easier with second-placed Melton Town the visitors on Saturday, but Weston said: “It will just be nice to get back on the Parish Ground which suits us most with the size of the pitch.

“Loughborough's pitch is absolutely huge – it felt twice the size of ours.

“We have one or two lads who have not played as much football as what they should have done through one thing or another and they were out on their feet near the end – they had really put a shift in on a big pitch like that.

“But they did well and I was really proud of them.”