St Albans City joint manager James Gray praised his players after their seven-game winless streak in the Vanarama Conference South came to an abrupt end on Saturday.

First-half goals from Sam Corcoran and John Frendo were enough to see the Saints over the line in a game in which they were too strong for Weston-super-Mare. In particular, the play of Jamal Lowe, Corcoran and new signing Simon Thomas was excellent.

Speaking after the game, Gray said: “It was a total change around in fortunes – the lads showed good desire, good commitment and it was a good reaction to the run we’ve been on. And a little bit of relief for the management team as well.

“I thought it was a good performance, especially first half, which we dominated. We moved the ball well and got a couple of goals up. In the second half, a few of the changes we had to make disrupted our flow and they were always going to gamble. We were cagey but that’s understandable due to being on that run.”

St Albans remain in 16th place in the table but they moved 13 points clear of the relegation zone with six games to play. Ahead of the game, Gray said City needed six points to be safe. They’re halfway there and have a great opportunity to pick up another three points when they face Staines Town on March 28.

“Three points is a big relief,” he said. “We’re not out of the woods, but I always thought we had enough to get out of trouble.”

He added: “The break could be a blessing because we have been working the lads hard. The intensity has been crazy so it could be good to take the pressure off and we should come back refreshed.

“Staines is an opportunity for us. We all know the problems they’ve had and we need to come out fight and hopefully we won’t be caught cold by them.”