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Westley happy to win ugly

Image: Graham Westley: Happy with gritty victory

Graham Westley was delighted to see Stevenage come through a 'war of attrition' with Newport County to record a vital 2-1 win.

The 'Boro are now within goal difference of a play-off place in League Two while the Exiles are out of the top seven, although the hosts were left hanging on towards the end. Westley said: "It was on a difficult surface and it was a war of attrition so it was about being intelligent in the way you played the game. "It was about earning your set-pieces and playing in the right areas and we got ourselves into an excellent position with a well-executed corner and a well-executed free-kick. "It was disappointing to concede their goal, especially from a set play because jobs weren't done but it was good to show a bit of resilience. "I don't think we were at our best but if you're going to be successful you're going to have to sometimes win games when you just have to grind things out. "For our goals both Charlie Lee and Bira Dembele meant business - they know that when they go into the box at a set play it's him or you and you've got to put a lot of work in to make sure it's you." Stevenage went ahead after half an hour when Simon Walton's corner was met with a powerful header by Lee at the back post. The 'Boro's second came from a free-kick chipped in by Ben Kennedy that Dembele climbed high to nod into the net and give his side breathing space. Adam Chapman gave Newport hope after 88 minutes with a crisp, low volley but the Exiles were to lose Chris Zebroski to a stoppage-time red card. Newport boss Jimmy Dack said: "It's about the cutting edge in the final third. "We've just got to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal - the character is there and they had a real go towards the end. "It's not the fact that they're not trying but we just look a little bit nervous in front of goal at the moment. "I suppose that goal is just looking that little bit smaller at the moment. "When they're not taking chances, they're thinking about it a bit more and at the moment we're creating chances. "It's going to go to the wire and I said before today's game that there were 12 games to go and I always said six wins should get you in the play-offs. "We still need six wins which means we've got to win one every two games and today was a loss so we need to win on Friday."

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