Manager Garry Wilson believes Eastbourne Borough will not let themselves down again this season.
Wilson was "embarrassed" by last week's 7-1 defeat against Albion Reserves in the Sussex Senior Cup.
Borough redeemed themselves with a 2-1 win against Tiverton at a windy Priory Lane to move up to eighth in the Dr Martens premier division.
Wilson said: "We were looking for a big response and that's what we got.
"There's no doubt the result against Albion helped us because it made us all more determined to prove a point.
"We all felt embarrassed and ashamed the other night and the players knew they let themselves down.
"I think maybe a result like that gives you a kick up the backside and I would like to think it won't happen again. The performance was much better and we defended with big hearts. The windy conditions made it a lottery but we coped the best and showed good character to hold on at the end."
Borough attacked with a gale-force wind at their backs in the first half and went 2-0 up before the break.
Matt Crabb opened the scoring on 14 minutes with a curling shot which found the top corner.
Danny Simmonds twice went close before adding the second on 41 minutes with a glancing header from a cross-shot by Stuart Tuck.
Tiverton hit the woodwork twice in the last ten minutes through James Mudge and Darren Edwards and Borough keeper Lee Hook had to produce a superb save to deny Carl Cliff-Brown.
The visitors pulled one back from a Steve Winter penalty in injury time but Borough held on for the points.
New signing Jay Richardson came off the bench to make his debut in the final stages following his switch from Crawley.
Victory puts Borough seven points above the cut-off zone for the new Conference South division next season. Teams finishing below have to play-off to gain a place in the new-look league.
Wilson admits Borough are surpassing his expectations this year and insists they have proved they are good enough to cement a top 13 place.
He said: "I'm delighted to be where we are and I think we are well worth our place. We have shown we can pick up points against most of the better sides in the division."
Crawley's match against Newport County at the Broadfield was called off in the afternoon due to a waterlogged pitch.
Weymouth, Reds' rivals for the premier division title, were held to a 1-1 draw at Grantham, manager Steve Claridge equalising five minutes from time.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article