Coventry City manager Tony Mowbray has said that the 4-1 win over Gillingham should be the benchmark for his players.
“I go home to see my family tonight – hopefully before my kids go to bed – and we’ll all enjoy my birthday tomorrow,” Mowbray said to the Coventry Telegraph's Andy Turner.
“It’s always easier on the back of a win – otherwise I might have been a little but grumpy at the dinner table.
“But let’s not get carried away. At Middlesbrough I was top of the table two times on the bounce on New Years Day and missed out on the play-offs. It’s a long, long season and we have to keep working hard day after day leaving no stone unturned before the next game which is a very tough trip to Bradford.
“What I was pleased about was the intensity and the concentration levels because, let’s not kid ourselves, Gillingham are a top team.
“You might be lucky to be top of the league after three or four games, but not 17, yet right from the off we looked the team on the front foot, asking questions of them.
“It’s always difficult when you’re four up at half-time and the message was to see the game out, be professional, not let them back in
“I had to calm them down a little bit because everybody was bouncing around and we still had 45 minutes to play. But ultimately it’s about winning the match, getting the points, moving on to the next one.
“We managed to do that and we still had chances – Adam Armstrong went through one-on-one and hit the post and a few flashed across their six-yard box when a toe would have meant another goal.
“All in all it was a top performance but we have to use that as our benchmark and make sure we try to retain that level as often as we can.”