Michael Skubala hailed the mentality of his players after a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Leyton Orient extended their remarkable unbeaten run to 25 matches.
With promotion already secured, this was the sort of fixture where standards could easily have dipped. Instead, City dug in and again found way to win.
Skubala admitted the challenge was as much psychological as physical after an emotional week, but said his squad refused to relax.
He said: “It would have been easy to take your foot off if you're not careful after achieving that first goal of promotion, but this is a special group.
“They want to be champions - we’re so close to that, and we can’t let that go. We work really hard for every single win."
Skubala also pointed to the reaction of those called upon unexpectedly as further proof of the group’s mentality. Tom Bayliss was drafted in after a late injury issue to Ivan Varfolomeev and delivered an impressive display, stepping in seamlessly.
He added: "Ivan was meant to start the game but he's felt something and Tom's came in, and I thought he was excellent. Sometimes when you get a late shot you're not fully prepared, but it just shows you the mentality again as he went straight in to a really good performance."