Harry Pell admits the Robins must continue to start brightly and take even more responsibility in their own performances if they are to climb Sky Bet League Two.
Pell grabbed a first half goal and rattled the post as Cheltenham recorded a 2-1 win over Newport Count in the Checkatrade Trophy in Wales on Tuesday night.
The midfielder revealed the team had been working hard in training on making better starts – and responded with two quickfire goals at Rodney Parade.
And as the Robins prepare to return to the LCI Rail Stadium to face Luton on Saturday, he is keen for the team to make amends for the FA Cup defeat to Maidstone.
“We need the cup win after Saturday,” said Pell. “The emphasis was on getting out of the blocks brightly and we knew that we needed the result.
“We started well. We have done a lot of work on the start of the game and it worked. Now we need to keep that going.
“We need to play in the opposition half a lot more than we have been and take more responsibility in our own performances from the start. We need to take ownership of the game.
“We’ve had some stern words after the cup defeat and all we can do is roll our sleeves up and go again against Luton on Saturday,” he added.
“I think it’s only right for me to say, on behalf of myself and my team-mates, that we apologise every single Cheltenham fan for our performance on Saturday.
“It was nowhere near the level that is expected of us. The players need to take responsibility for it, we were prepared right and knew what we were dealing with. In terms of honesty, we need to say that and now it’s about how we respond.”
Tickets for the league clash with Luton Town remain on sale NOW. Visit the online Ticket Office by clicking HERE or visit us between 10am and 3pm on Thursday and Friday at the LCI Rail Stadium.