Mark Robinson has called for our second successive point and clean sheet to become the stepping stone for us to go on a run.
“We've looked solid, organised, and limited teams to very little,” said Robbo after the draw with Portsmouth. “We did that against a good side tonight. We've got to build on that.
“I’m pleased with the clean sheet to build off. Obviously, we want to get back to scoring goals, but there is one guarantee in football that if you’re not conceding goals then you’re not losing. I said to the players that although we want the goals to come back, we must not lose sight of that over the last two games.”
Robbo praised the efforts of defender Dan Csoka and forward Dapo Mebude, the pair coming into the starting line-up for Ben Heneghan and Ayoub Assal.
“They were positives," said Robbo. "We lost Ben (due to Covid), but we didn’t panic. Dan has gone in there and done really well again. We put Dapo in there, as I just had a little gut feeling that it could be a good night for him. It was nothing to do with Ayoub, who has been excellent for us.
“It shows we've got other players we can bring in and with all these back-to-back games we need that. I’ve said that to the other lads who haven’t featured - Ethan Chislett, Tomas, Terry Ablade and Aaron Cosgrave. Everyone is going to play their part. We’re going to need that freshness and that energy.
“I was pleased with Ollie, I thought his energy levels were good and I’ve run out of superlatives for Alex Woodyard. He continues to have good games and he’s just such an influence in the dressing room. He’s loving it and desperate for us to rise up the table, which we’re going to."
Although there were no goals, there was plenty of energy from both sides in a highly competitive League One game.
“We could have gone one up early on," said Robbo. "We started brightly. I think we’ve been a lot better on the ball, if I’m honest. I think there were times when we gave it away a little bit too easy in transition. We broke really well, but could have done better with our final pass. That can happen when you’re anxious and it’s my job to get them relaxed and the goals will come."
Pic credit: Ian Stephen (Pro Sports Images).
You can listen to the full post-match interview with our Head Coach Mark Robinson below, via the link to our official YouTube channel.
We also got the views of Hungarian Under-21 international defender Dan Csoka shortly after the final whistle last night, who earned praise for his display at the back.
Striker Aaron Pressley was back at the Cherry Red Records Stadium for the first time in a while, as the Brentford loanee recovers from a hamstring injury. We also caught up with him just before the game.