A TRUE barometer of any team's character is how they react under pressure and despite their perilous situation Notts County are handling it incredibly well.
While this 1-0 victory over an impressive Crawley team was far from perfect and drenched in tension, Shaun Derry's side stretched every sinew to protect a priceless three points.
It was not enough to take them out of the bottom four as Tranmere and Crewe both recorded draws, but it takes them to within one point of safety with two games left to play.
They had Bartosz Bialkowski to thank for ensuring that scenario with the big Pole producing a performance which underlined claims he is a Championship goalkeeper playing in League One.
Stunning stops denied Matt Tubbs and Gary Dicker in a second half in which a pharmacy would have done a roaring trade in Beta Blockers.
Overall it was a perfect response to the heartbreak of Good Friday's 2-1 defeat to Bristol City which was still fresh in the memory ahead of kick-off.
But Derry had urged his side to channel their pain into a positive performance against Crawley.
A win was imperative if the Magpies had hope of beating the drop with two wins and a draw required if they were to reach the 50-point barrier.
Crawley arrived with nothing to play for having secured their league safety quite comfortably leaving Notts hoping they were already visualising cocktails and beaches.
Derry's team was largely the one which started against Bristol City but there was one change as the injured Josh Vela was replaced by Callum McGregor.
There was a tactical shift too with Derry opting for a 3-5-2 system instead of 4-4-2 which meant a midfield role for Curtis Thompson.
Meadow Lane was bouncing as kick-off approached and undoubtedly there would have been a few nerves given just what an important afternoon it was.
Those anxieties were not helped by a decent start by the visitors, whose first attack ended with a glancing header from Jamie Proctor which drew a comfortable save from Bialkowski.
A symptom of Notts' edginess was a careless pass from Gary Liddle in the centre of midfield and occurred facing his own goal.
Fortunately, Hayden Mullins helped out his team-mate to halt Crawley's progress as Alan Sheehan also produced a vital header to stop Tubbs from going clean through.
Notts were finding space extremely limited in a bid to construct any of their own attacks, but after a an edgy opening 10 minutes they began to find momentum.
It was nearly rewarded with a goal too in the 18th minute when Jamal Campbell-Ryce, marked by two players, still found space to deliver a cross into the box.
Jimmy Spencer rushed into meet it and despite a solid connection steered it just wide of the post leaving the striker to place his head in his hands.
Having started well, Crawley's early confidence was beginning to evaporate and when a careless pass by Dicker let in Jack Grealish, Meadow Lane rose in anticipation.
He surged into the box, but just as we about to pull the trigger he appeared to be bundled over in the box.
Screams of 'penalty' punctured the air, but as play continued, Ronan Murray's shot was saved by Paul Jones with McGregor lashing the rebound over the bar.
Derry's side now had territorial advantage which lured Mark Connolly into a foul on Grealish in a bid to stem the tide.
But it proved a rash decision as from Sheehan's free-kick, Spencer rose majestically to plant a downward header beyond Paul Jones.
It was not more than Notts deserved for the way they had recovered from an edgy start, but Derry would have reminded them, there was still work to be done.
That was proven at the start of the second half as Crawley, like the opening 45 minutes, began with purpose.
Meadow Lane held its breath when Bialkowski made an error to present Tubbs with a strike at goal, but the goalkeeper redeemed himself to make a terrific save.
The rebound then fell to Mike Jones whose shot was hacked off the line by Liddle who then, just moments later, threw himself to block a Sergio Torres drive.
Notts were being penned back and it required an astonishing save from Bialkowski to keep Notts in front when he flung himself at full stretch to deny Dicker's header.
Derry's response was to throw on Mustapha Dumbuya for McGregor which meant Campbell-Ryce was released from his defensive duties.
The visitors continued to press for an equaliser and Gwion Williams, cutting inside from the left, drew another fine stop from Bialkowski from the edge of the box.
Tension grew as time ticked by but Notts did superbly to record a clean sheet and guarantee their survival fight is very much on.
