Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has urged his players to take the courage they showed against Bolton on Tuesday into their last three games.
After a run of nine games without a win, City beat the Trotters 3-2 at the King Power Stadium to move back into the play-off places.
Although they went 1-0 down to a David Ngog penalty in the third minute, Pearson said the way his side recovered and fought for the win showed spirit was alive and kicking in his camp.
"It was important we won, there is no doubt about that, and we had to show a lot of courage," he said.
"I am really pleased for the players because they showed an awful lot of character to deal with potentially another difficult night having gone behind to a bit of a soft penalty, I feel, in the opening minutes.
"I am sure there were plenty of people in the stadium who felt 'here we go again' but the players showed an awful lot of morale fibre to turn it around and, even when we conceded their second goal, I never felt we were hanging on.
"We showed some good quality as well.
"I am really pleased with how the players have applied themselves and we made a bit of luck for ourselves."
Pearson admitted he didn't know the exact cause of City's slump, but said he felt his side had deserved a lot more for their efforts during their recent poor run.
But after other results also went for them on Tuesday, City sit in a great position with three games left and Pearson challenged his players to see it through.
"When you have to experience a run of form like we have it is very difficult to nail down the reasons for it," he said. "It is an accumulative effect for the most part.
"The previous games, when you look at the two draws prior to this, we were very unlucky not to win both of them.
"I thought we were very unlucky against Millwall as well, when the players worked exceptionally hard with 10 men for the majority of the game.
"We have been a little bit out of luck recently but it is about what we do in the last three games now.
"We have spoken all week that our remaining games are against teams above us.
"Clearly, if we get the right results in these games, it goes without saying it doesn't matter what other people do. We know we have to win maybe all of them, I don't know.
"It is important we beat Bolton, there is no doubt about that, and we had to show a lot of courage.
"We needed to win the game and we have. We have three games left of the regular season to make sure we finish as high as we can and in the play-offs. Whether people are disappointed with that it doesn't really matter.
"We have to do what we can from here on in to put ourselves in a competitive position at the end of the season. If we do that then we will be on a run of decent results."
