Colchester United boss Danny Cowley hailed his side's defensive consistency after being named League Two Manager of the Month for March.
The U's won their first five games last month, and although they lost the next two, have bounced back with four points from their two matches so far in April.
And they go into Saturday's game at Newport County just three points outside the play-off places as they look to return to League One for the first time since 2016.
"We've defended well as a group, it's always an 11-man, 18-man job these days, so it's always been (started) from the front," Cowley told BBC Essex Sport.
"It's been a collective effort, it's something we work had at. Whenever we've started the season at a club, we've always been able to keep the goals below one a game, 46.
"That's something we really work hard on because you know you're not going to win many games 3-2."
Although Colchester let in four against AFC Wimbledon, Walsall and Bradford City and three against Morecambe, they have nevertheless only conceded 40 goals in 41 games so far.
"There's 15 goals there that maybe would have made our defensive record look even better," said Cowley.
"But over 41 games we've participated in, I think we've been pretty consistent defensively."
The overall figure is in large part due to 18 clean sheets, including six in a row from 23 November to Boxing Day.
Cowley first won a Manager of the Month award in October 2016 when he was in charge of Lincoln City in the National League.
He won the Championship award exactly three years later when he was in charge at Huddersfield Town, but said he preferred receiving the accolades later in the season.
"We've had a few. I like them in March and April because it shows the team grows and develops as the season unfolds. You're always trying to peak at the business end of the season," the 46-year-old said.
"We had a pretty good March, we didn't like the way we finished it but we've been more happy with the way we've started April - four points in the last two games has been credit to the group, particularly with so many things going against us."
He added: "It's been a team effort, a club effort really, the players have been brilliant for sure but congratulations to the staff for the way they've supported the players, and our supporters, who have been incredible and have definitely played a big part in this award. It's testament to everybody."
