Bulls boss Matt Chatfield said he didn't expect Saturday's 3-2 FA Vase win over Rainworth to play out the way it did, suggesting that his side didn't play how they wanted to in the first half.
Lower league outfit Rainworth took a shock 2-0 lead with just over half an hour played despite a red card for striker Jermain Palmer, but AFC mounted a second-half comeback - thanks to Jordan Annable's volley just before the break - and overcame their local rivals to reach the First Round Proper.
"In the first half we were terrible," Chatfield told Bulls TV, "so they had a little bit of a talking to at half-time and we restructured back to the favoured formation.
"You could tell in the second half we just dominated play and it was inevitable that we were going to win... It's just good that we got the goal to win it."
2-0 down and deep into first-half stoppage time, Jordan Annable linked up perfectly with Ross Duggan to volley the striker's lobbed ball past Warren Squires to halve the deficit.
The gaffer reckoned the goal was a crucial turning point in the game: "It's a massive goal to get before half-time, it gives you a bit more of a lift knowing that we've not got as much of an uphill battle."
Assistant manager John Stancliffe said that the entire game changed in the second half, and not just because of the impact of substitutes.
"We needed to get the players wide and really stretch the game width-wise, so Brandon (Webster) gave us that on the left and JJ (Annable) gave us it on the right," Stancliffe said.
"We said to Jamie (McGuire), Bucko and Jack Warner to just switch the play and be patient.
"Brandon giving us that option down the left, which we always got on the right from JJ, in the second half really did open them up."
Having surrendered a two-goal lead at Handsworth on Tuesday night to do the opposite the following weekend, Stancliffe reckoned the win could help the team mentally going forward: "To be honest I didn't think about Tuesday night until now.
"It's good to have that result and think in the future that we did it and we can do it again if needed."
Heading into another home game next weekend, when the Bulls welcome Liversedge in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division, Chatfield was pleased to maintain a 100% win record at the Forest Town Arena.
The Bulls have won all five home matches so far, beating Knaresborough, Eccleshill United, Graham Street Prims and Heanor Town before Saturday's victory.
"I think we need to have that bit of fortress about us, so that when people come they know they're going to have to play better than us and do something extra to beat us at home, because we're always going to provide goals and be in it until the 90th minute.
"It sets good precedent for the rest of the season and hopefully it stays like that for the rest of the season."
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