Rotherham United goalkeeper Adam Collin talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Man-of-the-Match Adam Collin revealed he was playing through the pain barrier in the latter stages of their last-gasp victory over relegation-haunted Stevenage.
The ex-Carlisle stopper was in the thick of the action as Graham Westley's side threw caution to the wind in their pursuit of a share of the spoils and although ex-Millers trialist Francois Zoko breached his defences with four minutes remaining, captain marvel Lee Frecklington struck two minutes later to break visiting hearts.
Speaking exclusively to www.themillers.co.uk afterwards, Collin admitted he had to stand up tall in their face of Stevenage's late aerial bombardment.
"I took a couple in the jaw near the end," he revealed.
"They are a big, physical team and they threw a lot of balls in the box but I thought we handled it well.
"We fought hard and grinded it out, so we're happy to get the three points."
The plucky visitors will have left NYS scratching their heads after their brave performance belied their lowly league position and Collin revealed his side had to show the ugly side of the game to come out on top.
"It was one of those games you just needed to grind out," he added.
"The teams at the bottom scrap for their lives and make it difficult for you but there is good belief in the squad and we showed good character again with the late goal."
The late drama came hot on the heels of the memorable finish against high-flying Leyton Orient and with the back-to-back home victories keeping Steve Evans' men among the League One pace-setters; Collin is delighted his side are finally starting to put their home hoodoo behind them.
"The home form was a bit dodgy so the wins have silenced a few critics," he added.
"It's something we've tried to put right and thankfully we are starting to do that."