CHIPPENHAM'S goal-scoring hero from the Weymouth game Martin Paul admitted his heart was in his mouth as he struck the vital shot.

The 28-year-old had only had one half-chance in the entire game but was presented with an open goal on 88 minutes after the Weymouth goalkeeper had parried Charlie Griffin's effort.

Paul tucked the ball away and sealed a vital 1-0 win that boosted Chippenham's promotion hopes and dented Weymouth's title ambitions.

The striker said: "The ball fell slightly behind me and it was spinning from the save. I knew if I made a good contact it would go in but if I didn't it could go anywhere.

"I was about 14 yards out and the ball fell just behind me so I hooked it first time. If I had taken my eye off it or taken an extra touch could have gone out for a throw-in.

"A lot goes through your mind in split second. When you are aware no one is in the goal it is a case of how bad you would look if you don't score."

He continued: "It was a mixture of relief and elation when the ball went in and then the announcer said the goal had come in the 88th minute.

"We played the next couple of minutes and told the ref to blow up but he said there was eight minutes to go.

"I got the impression he was playing on until they equalised but even after that we could have gone on to score a couple more."

Paul said he believes the win was vital to the Bluebirds season and he thinks the team now have a renewed confidence.

"We were delighted and to be honest their keeper got man of the match," he said. "You can't ask for more than go away to Weymouth and come away with a win.

"They put us under pressure from crosses and corners but apart from that they didn't cut us apart like in the home game.

"We kept our shape and defended well and I felt it went pretty well to be honest.

"It was a vital win because everybody below us either lost or drew. We're in a situation now where there are teams above within two or three points and the teams below with games in hand can't catch us if they win them.

"It would have been a massive kick in teeth to have gone to Weymouth and played well and lost.

"But now in the next game we will be in the mindset where we know we can go on and win it."

Paul is now looking forward to Saturday's derby clash at home to Bath City and is hoping to score against his former club.

"The Weymouth result will put a bit of self-belief back into the lads," he said. "Now we can say ahead of the Bath game that we have gone away to the second-placed team and won so we have nothing to fear.

"Bath have to come to us and try to win. They can't come and defend. It will be an open game and being a derby there will always be mistakes in derby.

"I thing the team that makes the least mistake will go on to win it."

Last Saturday was the first time Paul had scored at Weymouth and now he hopes to score his first goal against Bath at Hardenhuish Park.

"This season and in the last few seasons I have scored away against Bath but not at home," he said.

"It would be nice to score on Saturday but it's the old clich that it doesn't matter who scores as long as we win."