Cheltenham Town FC

I’m really pleased, it was a different experience for me coming in so suddenly. I’ve got to thank everyone at the club, the fans, for making me so welcome. The staff have been brilliant, the players gave everything, in the end we’ve got to be happy with a point.  

I’m sure they’ll be disappointed they didn’t win the game as our goalkeeper was man of the match. Brilliant saves, it was a strange game, I was really pleased in the first half. In the second half it’s a brilliant goal by us, the game was there for us, we made a technical change. Richards was looking after Hylton and Terry went to the right. We were in control and we just switched off, probably one or two, or three slow passes in the middle, played it to our centre back Troy goes forward and then there’s a gap, Tyrone Barnett looked a threat all day and he buried it. It was a tough, it gave them the lift they needed but we showed real resilience and I’m happy about that.  

The goals we’ve conceded of late I think it’s 13 in four games, we’ve been struggling in the league so I’m pleased with the resilience we showed. The shape was resilient, they’re a good side with some good players a nice style and good formation. Everything that’s gone on and the appreciation of the fans was brilliant, and the players had to show their appreciation.  

We need to work on the shape, when it’s a new system it tests you mentally also it tests your physicality with different movements and a range of movements to the side that we’ve been playing. I’d like the boys a bit fitter, we had a few go down with cramp but that shows me they gave everything, but that’s just one step and it’s going to be a tough season. In January we need to add and help this squad, but they’ve been brilliant in training and the goal was excellent, we’ve been working on overlapping runs and it’s brilliant ball in and good finish and there were lots of positives and the keeper made a lot of good saves.  

He’s a great goalkeeper and he’s a great lad, he’s brilliant technically, he can kick the ball a long way and we’re going to use that. As much as I like to pass the ball, when we’ve got someone like Byron up there it takes a bit of pressure off the boys today. When we’ve concede the goal like we did today we’ve got to find ways of reducing pressure, I think we got that balance right of where to play and where not to play.