Danny Wilson was delighted as Cardiff Blues completed a Guinness PRO12 double over Newport Gwent Dragons but admits the failure to secure a try-scoring bonus-point was a frustration.
The Blues raced into an 18-8 half-time lead at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park thanks to tries from Josh Turnbull and Rey Lee-Lo.
They continued to entertain with their attacking rugby in the second-half but were unable to finish several opportunities.
Man of the match Gareth Anscombe crossed for the hosts third try at the death but it was too late to go on to secure a maximum points haul.
Wilson said “28-8 is a good job. It’s a home win and we’ve ended up scoring three tries but we created a lot of opportunities just after half-time, two or three which were clear opportunities, which we didn’t finish to the level we have previously.
“That took a bit of sting out of the game but it’s another win, our fourth on the bounce from a group that are working extremely hard.
“If we are slightly critical it’s about not scoring four tries but on the whole we’re very pleased.
“We didn’t take the Dragons lightly, the performance from them last week away from home was an outstanding achievement so we knew we had to be on top of our game.
“We missed the bonus-point but it’s a good position to be in if we’re disappointed by that.”
The Blues remain eighth in the PRO12 table but following losses for Edinburgh and Munster earlier in the weekend they are now just one point off sixth.
That would secure qualification for the European Champions Cup and there are now two massive fixtures which Wilson has billed as cup finals against the Ospreys on Judgement Day and then Edinburgh.
It was the last game of the season at BT Sport Arms Park and Wilson is pleased with the progress the region have made in his first year in charge.
He added: “It’s extremely tight now and it’s all going to come down to the wire. It’s an exciting way to finish.
“We spoke about derbies being a priority and we want to get respect back by from derbies and we’ve achieved that.
“We also spoke about our home venue becoming a difficult place for opposition to come and we’ve lost just two league games here all year which is quite an achievement.
“We’re starting to get a bit of passion at Cardiff Blues and BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, which is really important because it’s a passionate support that wants to see a winning side. If we’re winning here we are achieving.”