YELLOWS boss Paul Carden praised the fighting spirit of Saturday’s two-goal hero Lewis Codling after he turned down the opportunity to leave the club.

Codling proved to be the match-winner at a cold and foggy Cantilever Park as his goals in either half were enough to secure a 2-1 victory over struggling Sutton Coldfield.

Carden admitted the midfielder could have departed last week but says he has shown a willingness to fight for his place in the team.

“We had an enquiry for Lewis last week and I said I would be happy for him to make a decision either way,” he said.

“He was injured when I came in and I know he has been frustrated with the lack of playing time so I wouldn’t have begrudged him the chance to go out and play elsewhere.

“He turned up for training last week and showed a spirit and attitude that I really liked so he had earned a chance to start.

“The goals he scored were very well-taken and his all-round performance was fantastic so I was really pleased with him.”

A late goal for the visitors almost saw Town’s hard work undone but Carden’s side held on to take all three points.

The result moves them to within touching distance of the Evo-Stik Premier Division play-off places and the manager is pleased with his side’s creativity.

He says a convincing scoreline could be in the offing if Town can started converting chances into goals.

“I thought the scoreline flattered the opposition on Saturday. If we’d have scored four or five goals there could have been no complaints,” he said.

“There is plenty of goals and creativity in the side but there are also consistency issues that can hamper any side.

“If we start putting chances away, we could hammer someone and hopefully that performance isn’t far away.”

Samuel Ilesanmi made his first start for Town in Saturday’s game, with new signing Rory McKeown also coming into the side at left-back.

Carden says he is seeing signs that the squad is starting to gel and that the next challenge is putting together a consistent run of form.

That quest begins with Saturday’s trip across the Pennines to face Frickley, kick off 3pm.

“The tapes I’ve seen of Frickley show that they can definitely cause us problems,” he said.

“They will be physical and looking to make home advantage count but if we look after ourselves we are a match for anyone in this league.

“Sammy has that pace and power that worries teams. He gives us an extra dimension.

“He’s hit and miss but he is an honest kid who works hard and is a real handful for defenders. The goals will come for him, I’ve no worries about that.

“We’re getting players in the right positions now so I feel like things are coming together. The next challenge is to put a solid run together.

“If we can do that, the sky is the limit for us.”