Stoke City captain Josh Laurent says a players' meeting inspired the Potters' recent upturn after the "penny dropped" they were in a relegation scrap.
The Potters slipped into the bottom three in the Championship after a 2-1 defeat at Cardiff on 24 February, their sixth loss in seven league matches.
But two wins in three since have moved them 19th, three points above trouble.
"What happened at Cardiff could have been one of the best things to happen to us," Laurent told BBC Radio Stoke.
"We had a sit-down talk between each other as players, and with the staff as well, everyone together, having a realisation of where we are and what needs to be done.