Miguel Freckleton credited the people around him for helping him to get through a tough period this season.
The Sheffield United loanee made his first league start under Ian Holloway due to injury and played the full 90 minutes as they earned a 1-0 win over his former club Chesterfield.
Injuries have seen him out since November but Freckleton has experienced an up-and-down loan period as he came in for some criticism after a few errors earlier in the campaign.
The defender said that he had the right support around him to come back stronger now that he is fully fit.
He said: "It was good to be back, I have missed a lot of football and had a lot of time out, so it was good to be back playing.
"That is always important for me and all of the lads got around me and gave me that confidence and I just built from that.
"It has all been a learning curve so I just take it like that to come out the other side as a better player and a better human being - that is the main thing.
"[Has it been challenging at times?] Yes. But having good people around you is the most important thing and I have got a good set of friends and a good family to help me through things
"I have gotten through it and now I am just looking forward and up."
Victory over Chesterfield brought them just one point behind their opponents who still possess playoff aspirations, although the top seven remain 11 points up the road.
Freckleton said that as a team they still intended on getting as close to the postseason as they possibly can in the final 13 matches.
He said: "Today was pretty tough, especially in the first half the sun was quite blinding and so we had to manage the conditions.
"It wasn't pretty but getting out of the first half with a clean sheet was important for us.
"I think that as a back line, all of us did well to restrict them, I don't remember them having anything dangerous, so it was a good defensive game from us.
"As a team, we want to get around the playoffs and try and keep competing in every game.
"And then, for myself, I just want to keep being solid and do the job that I need to do."
