Gary Brabin believes that the fight and character of Vale's performance at Swindon Town on Saturday offers plenty of encouragement as they search for points in Sky Bet League Two, but he knows that costly errors must be eradicated.
The Robins' late winner means that Vale are still looking for their first win of 2018, but Brabin insists that the players have the attributes to turn the form around and push up the table. He has also praised the application of the squad in training, with the mood remaining upbeat.
He said: "Obviously we are all disappointed, but they are a good group of lads and they still believe in what we are trying to do. There is still a lot of positivity there and I think you get that from your performance.
"When you are getting beat and you aren't performing well, that is harder to take, but I am a big believer that if you are playing well results will go your way - I thought the performance on Saturday warranted at least a point.
"We played a lot better than we have done over recent weeks and it was a real killer blow at the end to concede that goal. We started brightly and deservedly went a goal up, but then we made mistakes you just can't legislate for.
"I thought we showed a lot of character and in the second half half - speaking to their staff after the game - there looked to be only one team that were going to win it and that was us. We thought we were going to be disappointed with a draw and that third goal was a bitter pill to swallow.
"We have to dust ourselves down and it is our job to remind the lads of what they are capable of. We are all desperate for a win and when we play well I always think we have a chance."
As Neil Aspin's men prepare for this weekend's clash at home to Newport County, Brabin has been pleased with the spirit of the players and he is confident that a positive result can be earned if Vale perform to their maximum.
The Exiles will travel to Burslem with just six points between them and the play-off positions, and with their run in the FA Cup in mind, Brabin knows that it will be another tough fixture. However, he insists Vale must concentrate on themselves first and foremost.
He said: "I know a lot of people are still looking down and we have to be mindful of the situation, but I like to be positive and we really believe we can be pushing further up the table - I think we have enough to do that.
"Newport have done well. They had a difficult time last season and this year they are very optimistic and they will have their own ambitions to try and push for the play-offs.
"We are expecting another tough game, and although we are respectful and mindful of the threat that they pose, the biggest thing that we need to concentrate on is ourselves and perfoming to the level that we know we can.
"I thought Saturday offered us some encouragement as we more than matched Swindon, so if we can limit the individual errors that we are making, we can get back to winning ways."