WREXHAM wing-back Carlos Edwards has warned the LDV Vans Trophy final win will be a hollow victory if the Dragons cannot escape relegation.
The 26-year-old played all 120 minutes as the Dragons beat Southend 2-0, just a few weeks after making his return from a serious knee injury.
But although the Trinidadian enjoyed being part of the first Welsh club side to win at Cardiff's impressive Millennium Stadium, keeping the Dragons in League One was at the forefront of his mind.
"We have to use this as a springboard now," said Edwards. "We must look at the positives. We've won the cup but we've got six more cup finals to go.
"We've got to get our heads down and reach safety.
"This will boost us, but now we have to prove to people that we can stay up in this league.
"This cup is finished now and we've got to concentrate on the huge games we've got coming up. We don't want to be disappointed at the end of the season."
But Edwards, signed in 2000 from Defence Force, was taken aback by the atmosphere in his first major cup final on these shores.
"Just being at the Millennium Stadium is a dream come true for me," added Edwards.
"Lifting the cup was something special. We live for the moment and of course we'll all enjoy this, but we've got to get our heads down now.
"We've got a smile back on people's faces and hopefully that will mean we can get a big crowd at the next game as we bid to get out of the relegation zone."
Young Welsh defender Shaun Pejic was thrust into the action when Steve Roberts came off injured on 11 minutes.
And although the former Welsh under-21 international had a lot of defending to do as Southend piled forward, he enjoyed his first taste of Millennium Stadium action.
"It was quality," he said.. "I was a bit tense when I saw Steve hobbling, but as soon as I got into the game I felt fine.
"I just tried to block out the crowd and just concentrated on what I had to do in the game.
"With the extra time I was really tired and it was a huge relief when Juan scored and when the second goal went in. "This will be a great season if we manage to stay up. If not, well it sours it a bit."