Skipper Lee Evans believes the new look Blues will get better and better as the season goes on.
Town have made a slow start to the campaign following the summer overhaul having taken one point from their first two League One games and also exited the Carabao Cup.
Evans, one of 14 new additions so far with the signing of Accrington centre-half Cameron Burgess expected to be confirmed early in the week with the fee reported to be £750,000, says it was tough to take Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Burton Albion, Lucas Akins’s 86th-minute penalty having secured the points for the Brewers.
"Going 1-0 down, we responded well to get back to one-all,” he said afterwards. "Then it was disappointing not to at least draw the game, if not win, but we’ll learn from that.”
The 27-year-old admits it was frustrating to go behind for the third successive match: "It would be nice to get the lead and see what we do from there but it wasn’t to be today and we’ll just go back and work hard and be ready for Tuesday [at Cheltenham].”
Town have conceded a number of poor goals in their games up to now, which Evans puts down to mistakes which can be stamped out.
"Probably just individual errors, things that we need to cut out as players,” he said. "I don’t think there’s too much the staff can do about it, I think it’s up to us to not make those errors and I’m sure we’ll get better and better as the season goes on.”
Despite the results, he believes there have been positives in the games: "We’ve played some nice stuff, I think you can see the way we’re trying to play.
"But ultimately, especially in the league, it’s a results game and we’ve only picked up a point last week and nothing today. We’re disappointed more than anything.”
Reflecting further, he added: "To be fair, I think there were probably more positives last weekend [in the 2-2 home draw with Morecambe], today was always going to be a tougher game with the way they play, the set pieces, the long throws.
"I think a positive today was the way we defended them. I think we defended them really well, but there’s a lot of hard work and we’ll have to go back on the training ground on Monday and keep working to get better.
"I think we did that really well today. I think the back four did really well. With the set pieces and the boys coming back, the strikers coming back, I think we defended the long throws and the set pieces really well, it was more down to individual errors in open play, but we’ll cut them out and we’ll be OK.”
Over the two league games Evans has forged a promising central midfield partnership with fellow new boy Rekeem Harper.
"Rekeem’s a very good player, he’s got all the ability in the world,” he said. "We’ll get better as well the more we play together and, as I said, the longer we give this team I think we’ll get better and better.”
How long will it realistically take the team to gel? "It’s a tough one, I couldn’t tell you. As long as the performances are getting better, we’ll have try and get better on Tuesday to get a result there.”
The former Wigan man says captaining the Blues means a lot to him: "Delighted, it’s a massive honour for me, it’s a massive honour when I put on the shirt, never mind being captain. It’s just a huge honour and I’ll be hoping to be on the winning side as a captain sooner rather than later.”
What style of skipper is he? "A bit of everything, really try and be a captain more on the pitch, it doesn’t have to be everything with your mouth, it’s got to be the way you play as well, try and lead by example and I’ll try and do that as the season goes on.”
He says the squad is packed with ability with Kyle Edwards’s cameo from the bench having shown a glimpse of what the winger will have to offer during his time at Town.
"Loads of talent,” he said. "Obviously the new signings have come in, you’ve seen Kyle today, he was really sharp when he came on.
"We’ve got good players coming back as well. I think we’ll be alright, we just need to start picking up some more points sooner rather than later.”
The Wales international had praise for the 1,700-strong travelling support: "Brilliant, really brilliant. We were out here 45 minutes before for the warm-up, the whole stand was full.
"It’s a massive football club and the supporters have been brilliant and it’s just disappointing not to send them home with a better result.”
He says having fans back at grounds makes a huge difference: "Of course it does, it’s a completely different game, on both sides, having home fans in here for them and away fans. It just makes the game a lot better, it was soulless last year with no one in the ground.
"Brilliant, and we’re now looking forward to Cheltenham on Tuesday and I’m sure it’ll be a big game for them, a big game for us, we need to try and get three points.”
Evans knows the Blues, as one of the favourites for the title, are there to be shot at by the smaller clubs in the division, such as Cheltenham.
"Of course we are, and we have to deal with that,” he said. "People can put labels on us, but that’s nothing to do with us, we’re a new team, we’ll get better and better as the season goes on. As I said, just looking forward to Tuesday now.”
He says grabbing that first win will have an impact on the squad: "Yes, I think so. I don’t think we’re too far away from it. It’s disappointing to leave here with nothing, we should probably have left with a draw, but I think a win will be massive for the group, and hopefully that will come on Tuesday.”