Notts County boss Stuart Maynard praised the performance of goalkeeper Alex Bass after his side beat Carlisle 2-0 to move second in Sky Bet League Two.
Alassana Jatta and Scott Robertson were on target for the Magpies as they comfortably beat strugglers Carlisle.
Bass, who also got an assist for Jatta’s goal, made several key saves including one from Cameron Harper, whose header was goal bound.
Maynard said: “Bassy, what a goalie he is. I think he’s the best goalie in the league by an absolute country mile. The way he comes for crosses as well – with him it’s not just about the saves, he relieves so much pressure.
“It’s a really tough place to come and to get three points here is great. I know their record is not great at the moment, but I know Mike will turn things around. They’re a good team, as we saw when they came on strong at the end.
“I thought we showed unbelievable character at the end and tonight was all about the clean sheet. We’ve been going to the group and getting the message across to them about clean sheets and we’ve just shown a side to the game, a gritty side at the end.”
Maynard also praised his goalscorers, Jatta and Robertson, particularly Jatta who returned to the team after some time out with concussion.
“AJ, to get through the time he has tonight, with the time he’s missed has been great, What a finish to go 1-0, at the end it was really gritty but in the first half we were excellent,” he added.
Carlisle now find themselves just two points above the drop zone but Mike Williamson was pleased with his side’s response after being two goals down at half-time.
“I thought we started well. We had moments where we got into the final third but there were a couple of lapses in concentration. The first we conceded was a goal kick and that changes the flow of the half really.
“When Notts get in their flow, they’ve got some extremely good players and they got into their process and then it’s really hard. I thought our willingness was there, but the detail wasn’t there.
“In the second half we showed so much personality and character, we’ve come away thinking how have we not scored in that second half.
“I think when you’re in a bad period, it’s human nature to switch off as there’s so much pressure to do well and I can understand the fans frustration as it’s frustration for me on the sidelines as well.
“This group of players are desperate to do well and the reaction we saw in the second half from the fans as well was fantastic.
“When you see so much character and personality against a really difficult team, it gives you a lot of hope and a lot of confidence.”
