Striker Kevin Van Veen says Motherwell fans were right to boo their side off at half-time as they trailed 2-0 to Championship side Queen of the South in Saturday's Premier Sports Cup clash.
But he says he was impressed with how quickly the Steelmen turned the tie on its head to win 3-2 and top Group F, especially since they were playing in 25-degree heat.
The 30-year-old Dutchman was frustrated not to get on the score-sheet, but says he was pleased with what was a good win, in front of just under 2000 fans.
Former Scunthorpe United and Northampton Town striker Van Veen said: "It was very good, they were loud.
"There were 2000, and they booed us off after the first half, because we deserved that, it wasn't good enough to be 2-0 behind when you were quite dominant.
"There were half-chances in the first half, in the second half we came out and I've got to say the whole team still believed we were turning this around.
"We had quite a lot of quality, and before you know it we turned the game around quite quickly.
"That was just pure enjoyment and smart game-management, going down for fouls and having a breather, because it takes a lot of effort to turn a 2-0 around, in this heat."
Van Veen added: "It was frustrating, because obviously I want to be on the score-sheet, but in the end, I think I've got a part in all three goals and I'm quite happy with my own performance.
"There's a lot to improve for myself and the team, but mostly we did quite well.
"We switched off twice and went 2-0 behind, and it was very sloppy from us, but from the positive side of it we turned it around in the second half, were quite dominant, and could have been 3-2, 4-2 or 5-2 easily.
"It's quite good to show that character now, and that will benefit us when the league competition starts."
Van Veen says fans will hopefully see the best of him soon, but yesterday's match was the first time he had played over 60 minutes in 13 months.
"I was quite close a couple of times, there were ones cleared off the line and I have quite a bit to go compared to others with my fitness, still, so I'm getting managed from time to time with the staff," he said.
"Sometimes I was sharp, sometimes I was quite tired from pressing, but I've got a lot to improve for myself, so we're working hard on that.
"But overall it's quite positive and I'm happy that we turned it around."
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