Kewell: '˜We are ready to take on Cheltenham'

The Reds twice came against the Gloucestershire side last season, losing 1-0 away before losing 3-5 at home in a thriller, and Kewell believes anything other than a loss would be a positive start.

He said: “We lost twice to Cheltenham last year so hopefully we don’t do that again.

“Anything other than a loss is a bonus for us so we’ll go there and it’s going to be a difficult game.”

Kewell believes the Robins’ summer recruits will make them even more dangerous.

He added: “He (Cheltenham boss Gary Johnson) has got a well-structured team, they’re working well together, and I’ve seen a few of their games and they’re working hard and scoring goals.

“They’re going to be a difficult team to beat this year as they’ve made some good signings.”

Kewell believes that an opening game defeat would not be the end of the world.

He said: “Every team wants to get off to a winning start but unfortunately not everyone can.

“It’s not the be all and end all, you play your first game, and you try to win your first game and if it happens it happens and if it doesn’t then you’ve got to regroup and go again. We’re in this situation where, would we like more time, would we like this, would we like our players to be fitter, but we can’t, so my players are ready, I’m ready and we will see what happens.”