EBBW Vale skipper Chay Billen said Saturday's magnificent 22-20 win over Cardiff was just reward for the players' efforts during December and he hoped it "will be the turning point for us".

Vale had lost their previous six games, several narrowly.

Billen said: "It has been a hard month, playing six games with more or less the same 22 players, so I was particularly pleased with the boys' mental effort.

"We had shown similar character at Bridgend and Swansea when we were unlucky, but I thought we went that extra mile today.

"We've been too afraid to win games and things haven't gone our way, but they did today with the charge down try. Hopefully we are going to learn from this big time and take things on."

Asked where the course of the game changed, he said: "When we started well in the second half. We tried to get the ball down inside their 22 and score points when we got there, which we did.

"Though we'd lost six in a row before today, that was scant reward for our efforts because I think it was only at Pontypridd we were really beaten. Hopefully this is the turning point."

Vale coach Mike Ruddock said: "The key to victory was our will to win after so many narrow defeats. It was a mental thing really. At half time we were staring another defeat in the face, but there's great spirit here and we really worked second half.

"To be honest, the Cardiff scores came from our naivet. We tried to pass back from a lineout we won in our own 22 instead of driving it and then we had a kick charged down.

"I don't think, apart from that, they threatened us and I thought we had control of the game, but unfortunately we were always chasing it.

"I was fearing the worst at 17-3, but we were playing up the slope against the wind and they were never camped on our line. The play was in midfield.

"At 10-3 just before half time I still felt we could win, but we panicked a bit, showed our inexperience and tried to make up for the try we gave away.

"So then we had to do it the hard way, but our heads have never gone down and really this is a great result. But we beat Cardiff here last year and still had problems at the end of the season, so we must keep our feet on the ground.

"We must maintain the standard we showed in the second half and not allow the lapses of concentration we get. That's what's killing us really."

And Ruddock was quick to praise outside half Scott Mitchell.

"Scott played the conditions superbly and don't forget we've been without him for a number of months. We might have won a few more with him.

"He was a hero today along with Gareth Cull, but everybody stood up and made the hits."

* In the picture: Ebbw Vale's Gareth Cull celebrates.