Florent Rossigneaux admits last weekend’s narrow win over Barking had him chewing his nails - but has backed his side to emerge stronger from the experience.

Visitors Barking missed a last-gasp penalty as Park claimed an 11-10 victory in their titanic tussle, a result that saw Rosslyn strengthen their grip on second spot in National League Two South.

And Rossigneaux reckons the win speaks volumes about his side.

He said: “When they got their penalty with less than a minute to go I admit I did become a bit of a fatalist as I expected it to go over.

“There was nothing we could do about it, so to see it drift wide was a massive relief.

“It was a phenomenal result for us.

“It was a real top-of-the-table clash in every sense of the word - there was nothing between the sides and it was tremendously physical.

“There was a lot of nerves out there and this will have a massive impact on the players.

“I have always said that rugby is 80 per cent in the mind and you cannot overstate wins like that.”

Olly Lyndsey-Hague grabbed the crucial try which held Barking at bay as outside-half Ross Laidlaw suffered a nightmare day with the boot.

And Rossigneaux has urged Park to build on this display when they travel to struggling Westcombe Park this weekend.

He added: “Although we have been winning games our away form has not been the best and we need to improve that.

“We need to regroup quickly and make sure our concentration levels are spot on this weekend.

“We know we are so close to what we want to achieve and the boys believe that we can do it - so now it is up to us to prove it on the pitch.”

Rosslyn Park’s next three matches: Feb 6 Westcombe Park (a), 13 Canterbury (a), 20 Dings Crusaders (h)