Paul Simpson admitted resurgent Carlisle United can “breathe” now regarding their League Two future after their latest impressive victory.
A monumental effort against high-flying Bristol Rovers earned a 1-0 win and a 15-point survival gap.
The Blues are all but safe after the incredible revival under Simpson continued with a sixth win in seven.
The manager said he was delighted to give supporters another enjoyable afternoon at Brunton Park.
“The first buzz for me was relief when that final whistle goes - funnily enough I didn’t hear the whistle today, I just heard Gav Skelton screaming down my ear,” he said.
“But that’s what it means to us all. You see the fans, they’re loving it, they want to see winning teams, grit and determination as the base for us.
“They’ll all go home happy, I’m sure it will be a quiet night in Carlisle tonight.
“We can certainly start to breathe, definitely. It’s going to be a monumental effort from [bottom two] Oldham and Scunthorpe to collect 15 more points than us.
“But it is possible. They are capable of it. I’ve no idea how many games Oldham and Scunthorpe have won this season, and it’s going to have to be a hell of a run, so we have given ourselves a chance.
“The one thing we have to do, we cannot just rest on this, go, ‘Let’s have a cigar on and relax for the last eight’.
READ MORE: WATCH: Fans celebrate Carlisle United's win over Bristol Rovers
“I said before, we have a responsibility to people who are paying good money to watch us. We’ve had a really good turnout again at home, I’m sure we’ll get a good following away at Rochdale on Tuesday, and we have to go and perform properly, go and give them something to smile about and make the journey back up the M6 a good one on Tuesday.”
Kristian Dennis’s second-half goal proved decisive against Joey Barton’s team as the Blues held off the Pirates with some superb defending.
The victory cemented United’s status as the form team in the division, with Simpson also now in with a strong chance of manager-of-the-month honours.
The Cumbrian said his players deserved to take the praise after their showing against a promotion-chasing team with plenty of quality.
“Their work rate was incredible and the way they did the ugly side of the game with the defending, the blocks and the heading everything that came in,” he said.
“We had the keeper making saves when he was needed, and that’s how you earn results.
“I’ve just said to the players, football isn’t always pretty, you can’t always play the silky stuff, you have to earn the right, and we did that against a really good Bristol Rovers side.
“I just want the players to start believing in themselves and in how good they can be. Through the first six games [since I took charge] they’ve shown everybody that they’re a good team, so all they need to do is keep showing it.
“We got it in patches from them, and they look really good when they do it.
"I think the two things I thought we didn’t do particularly well to start with was we were a little bit frantic with our clearances, and we kept giving the ball back cheaply to them.
"We needed a bit of calmness about us. Sorry to use the expression, but we needed to have a bit of balls about us to take control and play.
"When we did have some balls and get it down and move it and switch play, I thought we got into some really good areas."
“There are a lot of them who are fighting to get contracts, whether that’s here or somewhere else, just like I’m fighting for my career," he added.
“We’re all doing everything we possibly can to make it right. It was a really tricky situation when I first arrived, but we’ve competed and we’ve given ourselves a wonderful chance to make it a positive finish to the season.”
Dennis’s winning goal was his second on successive weekend’s and his first strike at Brunton Park.
Simpson said of the frontman: “He’s a goalscorer, it’s as simple as that.
“He had the [goal] which was called offside, and I haven’t seen it back but it looks really harsh. I’d have been moaning even more if we hadn’t won the game.
“He likes to get on the end of things, and Omari [Patrick] caused problems. We were actually wondering whether or not we should take him [Patrick] off because he looked tired.
“Then he went into the corner and I don’t know what he did, but it was superb – a bit of magic, it was like pulling a rabbit out of a hat.
“He put the ball across and caused a bit of chaos.”
On Dennis, Simpson added: “He does so many other things, his workrate Is fantastic, I’m thinking about the ball that gets boomed up, from our keeper, that he plucks out of the sky and kills it dead.
“He’s got some ability as well. I just think he’s got to believe in himself a little bit more, like I’ve asked all the players to believe in themselves a little bit more.
“But there was some really good stuff, really good stuff, and ultimately it’s a huge win for us.”
READ MORE: Carlisle United 1-0 Bristol Rovers verdict: Beauty in the struggle as Blues' remarkable run goes on
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here