Hope Powell praised the character shown by her side, after Brighton & Hove Albion recorded their first win of the season in all competitions with a 3-1 victory over London Bees in the FA Continental Tyres League Cup.
Former Seagull Paula Howells gave the Bees the lead, but Albion hit back through goals from Ini Umotong, Ellie Brazil and Aileen Whelan in a hard-fought victory.
She said, “I am really pleased; credit must go to London Bees for making it difficult for us at times, but I am delighted with the way that we managed to find a way back into the game after a going a goal down.
"The players knew that there was more than enough time to recover, and I think we dominated the first half.
“We don’t always make it easy for ourselves though, and probably should’ve killed the game off in the first half with the chances we had.”
Powell also praised goalkeeper Lucy Gillett for a fine performance between the sticks and the quality shown for all three goals.
“Lucy Gillett’s attitude was fantastic and I thought it was the best game she’s played in a Brighton shirt.
“Ellie [Brazil] did well today and was responsible for us scoring our equalising goal, before scoring one herself.
“Ini finished brilliantly for the first goal, and the transition of play was excellent for the third, which Aileen finished very well.”
Sunday’s game was the first in eight days for the Seagulls ahead of matches against Birmingham City and Liverpool, and Powell highlighted the importance of maintaining the balance between preparation and recovery.
“It’s going to be a testing time for us with Birmingham on Wednesday and Liverpool at the weekend. It’s important that we make sure we get our recovery back and are ready to go again come Wednesday.
“Also having to travel takes a bit out of you, so we have to make sure that our preparation is spot on.”