Alan Smith said at the end of the game: "We all showed what we think of the gaffer. We know that when we go out we need to put on a performance for the manager as well as ourselves and the fans and that's what we did.
"The fans also showed what they think of the gaffer. They appreciate the situation we have been in and they're not stupid. They know it's going to be a struggle and a battle. The gaffer knows he has players who will give 100%.
"It was a wholehearted performance, with the fans getting behind the team and the manager, and we wanted three points for him as much as anybody.
"At the end of the day they support the club, they want it to do well and they also appreciate we've a good manager in charge, someone who wants to do well as a manager just as he did when he was a player."