Alton manager Kevin Adair was pleased with his side’s character after they came from behind to beat Sandhurst Town 2-1 at Anstey Park Enclosure in the Combined Counties Premier Division South.

The Brewers fell behind in the 14th minute to Lewis Wilson’s goal, but equalised on 37 minutes through Adam Brice.

Alton had a goal disallowed in the second half as they pushed for a winner, but the Brewers were reduced to ten men for ten minutes when Jamie Phillips was sent to the sin bin for dissent. Adair was also booked for dissent.

The home side regrouped, and found a late winner when Perry Coles confidently smashed home a penalty in the 90th minute.

“I’m pleased,” said Adair. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks for me, but this group stick with me. They help me through things and this is what we have football for.

“It’s massive for us to finish the year like that at home.

“The form we’ve been in has been really pleasing. I couldn’t be any more pleased.”

The win continued Alton’s good form – with nine victories from their past 11 games – and Adair was delighted with his side’s character.

“It doesn’t matter where you are, whatever level you’re playing at – that’s a good set of results,” said Adair. “We’ve just got to keep building and keep trying to improve.

“We don’t worry about people who are injured but we’ve got ten people injured who have made regular starts for the first team this season.

“From a team and squad point of view we’ve done really well – especially with a couple of controversial incidents.

“If we go behind and we don’t start well we stay in the game, and then we get goals at important times.

“When we have gone behind we’ve scored three or four times now five or six minutes before half-time, which goes and makes it an easier conversation because going in 1-0 down is a little bit more difficult and you’ve got to find ways of breaking teams down.

“When you’re back in the game then you approach it in the same manner you would do from the start of the game.

“It’s about intensity for us. When we can get high levels of intensity we are good.

“We set up in a way we thought would work and it suited the people we had available to us. We had to change it ten minutes in, but this group buy into it – which makes my job easy.

“We’ve had sin bins and sending-offs throughout this season which is not good from our side, but the sin bin comes after a reckless challenge that got a yellow. There were six or seven other yellows in the game. If that was the same punishment as some of the others were I’m surprised, but it is what it is.

“I don’t know what Jamie’s said or done, but the referee has responded to it.

“We’ve dealt with that situation and it’s three points – that’s all that matters.

“If there’s a pressure penalty it’s 1-1 in the last home game of the year. Perry didn’t even look fazed by it. I don’t think anyone doubted he was going to score.”