Alnwick Town put words into action to beat Sunderland West End

The black and whites also forced two own goals out of James Hopkinson and Adam Anderson in the second half as they moved four points clear of the Northern League Division Two danger zone with a game in hand on those below them.

“You can see the confidence grow straight away in the changing room after,” the manager told Alnwick Town TV.

“It was a great performance and it wasn’t an easy game – Sunderland West End have done very well recently, so I’m over the moon.

“I had an honest conversation with the players last Tuesday night in training where we sat in the changing room for a good three quarters of an hour and I talked about the expectations and how it hasn’t been good enough.”

If Latimer wanted a reaction, he got it as Aziakonou shot Alnwick ahead in nine minutes.

Adam McGuiness levelled for the visitors in the 23rd, but Ohidan restored the advantage 10 minutes before the break.

A late Riley Mount goal proved just a consolation for West End.

Alnwick don’t have a fixture this weekend and are back at home against Chester-le-Street United on December 14.

“The lads went and had a session after our talk, the majority of which was running, as a test of character sort of thing, and I think the penny dropped,” continued Latimer.

“The lads put the work in and I was hoping that they’d show what we said, and I think it showed.

“In the last couple of months we haven’t had that desire or that winning mentality, or that competitive edge about us, but I think we saw it in spades today – it wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but you could see a lot more of what we have been asking from the players.”

Town are at St James’s Park twice over the festive period with fixtures against Bedlington Terriers on Boxing Day and FC Hartlepool on December 28.

“That result has stopped the rot, but now we’ve got to kick on as a club with that sort of effort and endeavour going forward,” said the boss.