It was also their first win in six attempts on the Astroturf at Coles Lane and they couldn’t have chosen a better time to record a victory that secured their play off place.

The Nailers now travel to Harrison Park to play Leek Town in their penultimate league game of this fascinating season.

Manager Peter Duffield admitted it had been a comfortable afternoon for him on the sidelines as he watched his team produce the ‘complete performance’.

“Our attitude was spot on”, he said, “we got our tactics and team selection just right and the players went out there full of confidence and with just the right attitude.

“We’ve now got fourth place in the bag and it’s just a question of seeing how far we can go, but we are unlikely to change anything at this stage of the season and we will carry on just the way we have been doing.”

The Nailers seemed to enjoy playing on the plastic surface and produced some excellent football with everyone contributing.

“Glyn Cotton (pictured) and Steve Warne were excellent in midfield and relished the artificial surface which allowed us to play quick man to man football that was pleasing to watch,” said Duffield.

“We scored three excellent goals and kept a clean sheet so it was a good day all round,” he added.

“Confidence makes all the difference in games like these and with 22 games unbeaten behind us we are oozing it at the moment, but we won’t be taking anything for granted as we have some very tough games to come.”

“Now we have reached the playoffs it doesn’t matter to me who we play,” he said.

“People ask me which teams I want to avoid and I say that it doesn’t concern me because I have complete belief in my players that they will go out and perform, regardless of who we meet, and whether we are at home or away.”

The Nailers have to negotiate a trip to Leek Town next Saturday and Duffield will assess the situation in readiness for the visit of King’s Lynn for the final league game.

“There a few permutations which could affect my team selection for the King’s Lynn game so I will select a side that takes into consideration all the variable.”

“We are fortunate not to be carrying any injuries after these last few games and I’ll be hoping we steer clear of any in the next couple of weeks.”

Nigel Oldrini