Manager Michael Flynn hailed Newport County AFC's battling spirit after earning a 2-2 draw against Leyton Orient.
The Exiles twice came from behind to earn a late point on their return to league action at Rodney Parade for the first time in 18 months.
Goals from Harry Smith either side of Matty Dolan's penalty on the stroke of half time looked to have earned Orient maximum points.
But Dom Telford's strike - his second in the space of five days - with 10 minutes left saw County joy a share of the spoils.
And Flynn praised his side's character for bouncing back twice against an Orient side who have been fancied for promotion this season.
“I was very pleased with the attitude and determination of the players today,” said Flynn.
“We haven’t lost after a difficult week and we were playing against a very, very good Leyton Orient who I expect to be there or thereabouts.
“It was a great game and 100 per cent we should have had a penalty at the end. It’s been a challenging week on many fronts and I was pleased with the attitude and determination of the players.”
Flynn made four changes from County’s last league outing - a 3-0 defeat against Salford City in a game which he was absent from after returning a positive Covid test - with Priestley Farquharson among those making way.
But the defender was sent on in the second period against the O’s to deal with the threat of Smith, who proved to be a handful up front.
“Priestley knows why he didn’t start and I thought he was very, very good when he came on. A couple of players looked empty, not just against Salford but against Southampton too.
“Some players take longer to recover and get up to speed, and with all the away trips that we’ve had already, we’ve had to freshen up.
"It's two in two and it was a good week for Dom too. The way that he handled being told, he was very, very professional. I will never close the door on people who handle things the right way. Dom definitely did that."
County were without seven players for the fixture due to a Covid outbreak in the squad, with the Exiles returning four positive tests while three other players missed out after coming into close contact with the quartet.
They will be back in contention for the trip to Harrogate Town next Friday, but Flynn says they may have to bide their time to get back in his matchday squad.
"Players will be back but whether or not they get in is another story,” Flynn concluded.