Brentford Manager Mark Warburton said the late Jonathan Douglas goal to secure three points against Oldham Athletic in his first game in charge was “very important.
Mark took over as Brentford Manager in December, following the departure of Uwe Rösler.
The Bees had won seven and drawn one of their previous eight Sky Bet League One games before Mark took over.
They were drawing 0-0 with Oldham going in to the final minute when Jonathan Douglas headed home at the far post to win the game.
That kept Brentford’s run going in to Christmas and the festive period saw them win away to Preston North End before beating Milton Keynes Dons and Swindon Town at Griffin Park.
They then kicked off 2014 with a win away to Peterborough United on New Year’s Day.
Mark, during an extensive end-of-season interview with Bees Player, said the players deserved the credit for the run.
“It was very important to beat Oldham,” said Mark.
“The boys had been on a good run and the crowd would have been, quite rightly, asking questions.
“Dougie scores a very important goal and that gave us more confidence.
“We followed that up with Preston away, a tremendous performance, and from there we went from strength to strength.
“All credit to the players, not just on the pitch.
“They do work off the pitch too.
“They are great guys to work with, top professionals.”
Mark hailed the Christmas run as “fantastic” with strong performances in tough games.
He said wins away to Preston and Peterborough – who both finished in the top six – set a marker but only did so because they were not isolated wins.
“If you go to Peterborough we took 15 points from 15,” said Mark.
“When you look at our programme, Preston, Peterborough, MK Dons and Swindon – they were tough games.
“To deliver performances in the manner we did was fantastic.
“Peterborough away was a strong performance on a difficult pitch, we were good against MK Dons and Swindon but Preston was the stand-out for me.
“It was 3-0 against a strong opponent.
“We were outstanding on that day.
“Getting good results can lay down a marker but there needs to be a track record.
“If you play five, lose three and get a great result, it doesn’t mean much.
“We were on a good run and to go to a team like Preston and win like we did meant teams were looking at our results.
“We followed that with the Christmas period and got four wins.
“Peterborough would have been a game considered a banana skins but we produced a good performance.
“We were strong and carried on the run.”
Brentford moved in to January and had a month without midfield player Adam Forshaw and defender Harlee Dean – both absent injured.
Mark said his team went from strength to strength despite some hindrances.
He added that other teams also performed well with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leyton Orient making a three-team breakaway.
The Bees eventually did enough to win promotion, finishing eight points ahead of Orient and clinching second place.
“We went from strength to strength in that period,” said Mark.
“It could have been considered that we might have been unsettled, Adam was injured, Harlee was injured, we had loan players coming in, but we got stronger.
“Teams would have been looking at us.
“However, when we went on our run other teams were doing the same.
“Three or four teams pulled away, it was a unique year and it turned out well in the end.”
Brentford came out of January with their squad intact and added Alan Judge – who joined on loan from Blackburn Rovers and has now signed permanently.
Mark said he was delighted with his work in January.
“You live or die by the staff you secure, whether that is the physio, the analyst or players,” said the Brentford boss.
“I was delighted with January.
“Alan Judge provided an infectious quality.
“He wanted to play.
“He was a bit behind in terms of fitness when he first arrived but he has been tremendous for us.”
Mark Warburton’s full end-of-season interview is available on Bees Player