Wigan Athletic star on Cheltenham Town setback: 'We need to win games like that...there's no excuses...'

Latics avoided a third home defeat in a row thanks to on-loan Liverpool defender Luke Chambers' leveller at the DW Stadium, after Matty Taylor had put the visitors ahead from a clever free-kick move.

But Liverpudlian Smith reckoned it was still a case of two points dropped given the high expectations in the Latics camp.

"We needed to start the game faster, be on it more, set the tempo more," said Smith, who was making his first start of 2024 after several impressive cameos off the bench in recent weeks.

"And we had some honest discussions in there after the game.

"There is massive ability in that dressing room, I believe in every single one of them, we’ve all got the ability, and with the gaffer and staff, we’re going in the right direction.

"The substitutes came on at half-time and made a difference, which gave us a boost, and we played with more tempo in the second half.

"But overall, it’s not good enough to draw at home to Cheltenham as Wigan Athletic. With where we want to be as a team, we need to win games like that.

"There's no excuses from us, we should be doing better and they deserved their point.

“We need to stay together because we’ve been on a journey so far this season. It’s been a good journey - and good to be part of, but we need to keep going.

"But with where we want to be as a team, we need to win games like that, and we need to bounce back."

On his hopes of nailing down a more regular first-team spot, Smith – who joined Latics last summer after leaving Burton Albion – added: "I've been pushing over the last three or four months to get more chances in the team.

"I feel I'm ready to play more games for the team, the injury from pre-season is right behind me, and I feel like I'm growing with every game I play."