Cambridge United boss Mark Bonner takes responsibility after Sky Bet League One home defeat to Cheltenham Town

Cambridge United head coach Mark Bonner has conceded that he needs to ‘do a miles better job and the players have got to step up and deliver more’ after tonight’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Cheltenham Town.

It is now one victory in 14 Sky Bet League One outings for the U’s, who are second from bottom and three points from safety.

The loss is all the more disappointing considering that it was inflicted by a visiting side that arrived at the Abbey Stadium as the division’s least in-form team alongside United.

Speaking after the final whistle, Bonner said: “It was definitely one to win, not to lose. You look at all the other results tonight and they’ve gone our way, but it doesn’t really matter if we don’t win games.

“We haven’t backed up enough good performances, we haven’t looked a good enough threat. We should have won that game in the first 20 minutes, but didn’t, and then the game unravelled and it looked like a mess in the end.

“It’s way off the level and it’s a really poor night for us and a poor result. We’ve got to change quickly and do miles better because we all know what will happen.

“The other games don’t really matter. Of course they do in the big picture but the performance wasn’t good enough.

“In the first half we were good, I thought we played some really good attacking football and got in behind them really well.

“We had a couple of good chances and then the second half is a little bit flat and it peters out. We get the penalty and have a push after that, a bit of momentum in the game, but not enough threat or creativity.

“The build up to the second goal is rubbish – too many bouncing balls, too many lost duels. And at the end of the game we run out of ideas and intensity.

“In the end the performance level isn’t good enough for lots of reasons and that is absolutely my responsibility. I’ve got to do a miles better job and the players have got to step up and deliver more than that as well.

“It’s all a big concern because the results are rubbish. Nothing is good enough, you could point to anything, it’s not one thing.”

Attention now switches to Saturday and another home game against Oxford United, who are without a win in their last six league fixtures.

And Bonner has called on supporters to stick with the team during the 90 minutes.

He added: “Everyone will probably come baying for us a little bit and I get that as well.

“I think our supporters have been amazing, they’re so desperate for us to do well and we’re not delivering for them often enough.

“All I’d say is try and back the team for 90 minutes, in the whole game at the weekend, and if you don’t like it afterwards then batter me as much as you want because I’m not doing well enough.

“But the team has got to keep getting supported because everyone is desperate to do better, win more games and stay at this level.

“This is beyond the tough spell we all predicted would come in at any point, but the reality is that if we were three or four positions higher, that would be a successful season for us. It doesn’t take too much for it to turn, but there aren’t enough signs showing it’s going to turn.

“It’s a bit of bravery, a bit of courage, a bit of togetherness because we’re going to need plenty of that, and we’re going to need plenty more quality.”