Match winner Marlon Jackson said Weston AFC showed “great character” to beat Harrow Borough 2-1 at The Optima Stadium and secure a place in the Southern Premier South play-offs.
Jackson scored the winner, after being played in by Nick McCootie, just after half-time when he slid the ball home in front of The Alto Digital Stand to spark jubilant scenes for the 1,184 supporters present in BS24, the highest home crowd of the season.
The goal was Jackson’s 11th league goal of the season after re-joining the Seagulls in November, following his release from Chippenham Town, before he committed his future a month later.
And then forward extended his stay in BS24 when he penned an 18-month contact three months later.
McCootie cancelled out Yasin Ben El-Mhanni’s opener with a low strike across Joshua Strizovic to help the Seagulls finish the season on 78 points from their 42 games and a place in the play-off semi-final at Hayes & Yeading on Tuesday night.
“It was an absolute massive win for us,” said Jackson.
“The fans came out in their numbers, it was our biggest crowd this year and they supported us from the start.
“We obviously had a bad start but we showed character ever since I’ve been here. We showed great character to get the result.
He added: “It was a massive goal. I knew what Nick (McCootie) was going to do. Every time he gets one-on-one on the side he’s going to put the ball across the box. I think he has done it for me three times already this season.
“I knew he was going to do it, I made a bit of space off the defender and I just tapped it into the net really. It was all Nick but I am happy to get the goal and make sure we won and get through.”
Jackson praised their friendship and the work done behind the scenes in helping the two players work together and enabling them to transfer their hard work onto the pitch.
“We are great friends off the pitch but in training the gaffer (Scott Bartlett) always puts us on the same team,” he said.
“That helps because in training you know you are going to get the link up. So when it comes to the match it becomes more natural.
“I think that’s helped a lot and when you play up front with somebody you always like to give them the ball.
“That’s what I believe because they are going to be higher up the pitch with you. So we try and do that and today it all paid off massively.”
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