Prettiness sometimes has to take a back seat if you are going to be successful in football - and a three points for Stevenage at home to Wycombe Wanderers falls into that category said manager Steve Evans.
A solitary goal from Carl Piergianni, scored midway through the first half, was enough for Boro to win 1-0.
They even had the added bonus of seeing Wycombe goalkeeper Max Stryjek sent off three minutes into the second half for fouling Jordan Roberts as last man.
However, they were put under pressure late on before eventually clinching the three points, their first in five League One matches.
"Sometimes, in any campaign where you're successful, there will be times when you have to grind it out," said Evans.
"We showed another side of our game today. People talk about us saying we’re big and strong and physical.
"We’ve been that in recent weeks but we've been caught with the Black Cat syndrome.
"But in fairness to the players, they have jumped all over that bad luck and got us over the line.
"We’re not sitting here thinking this was one of our top performances but we've been kicked and kicked and kicked in recent weeks.
"And when you’ve got the right group in the dressing room, you can kick them and they’ll find a way to come back.
"Those players deserve the credit because believe me, there were a lot of doubters.
"You know my views. We've Lincoln away next Saturday and if I'm standing there at 5pm and we’re in and around the play-off group, we'll be real contenders to be in it."
The way they finished the game could have been better but by the same token, three points could be huge come the end of the season.
"Yeah, I think so," the boss admitted. "There were [a few] examples of sloppy clearances.
"But we make three good chances in that second-half and if one of them goes in, you don't have that at the end, you see the game out comfortably."
The final whistle saw the Boro manager punch his first in the air in an apparent show of delight.
He later revealed that there was a bit of relief mixed in there too.
Evans said: "We’ve got young managers in the game now and they have what I had 25, 30 years ago.
"When you win a game, you phone the missus and you get out for a meal or you have a glass of wine at home and the family is round and everybody is happy.
"But I'm listening to the guys that have been the journey, the senior managers, the Pep's and the Jurgen Klopp's.
"He's having a break because the pressure is intense and it becomes relief when you win. There isn't the joy like when he first went to Anfield.
"We're the same and so the punch in the air was because those players that delivered the win for us have had nothing going for them in the last few weeks.
"But we got over the line, so we'll send everyone away tonight, ready to come into work and get ready for more tough ones."
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