Defender says the Vale must put Tuesday night’s late heartbreak behind them and move on the Cheltenham Town test.

• Lewis Cass | “Learn from the lesson quickly”
• Port Vale defender Lewis Cass speaks to the media following his side’s 2-1 defeat to Derby County
• Cass: “Obviously we are down but we are realising that we have come so far and come Thursday we will be on the training pitch to put it right.”

Port Vale defender Lewis Cass says the Vale must learn quickly from the disappointment of their late defeat to Derby County on Tuesday night.

Darrell Clarke’s side looked to be heading towards three points before David McGoldrick and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored a quickfire double for the visitors on 87 and 89 minutes respectively.

Speaking to the media post-match, Cass said:

“After the boys grafted so hard for 87 minutes, it is a killer blow for us.

“You can see their quality; they’re clinical in both boxes. I thought we grafted so hard and it is a killer blow.

“Everyone will take the lesson from it of how quickly games can change but we have to learn our lesson quickly and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“We put a really good shift in and should be coming away with at least a point but it is what it is and we have to look forward to Cheltenham at the weekend.”

Cass says the fact the Vale – who were promoted from League Two last season – are disappointed at having only taken three points rather than six from Paul Warne’s Derby this season highlights the progress the club is making.

“We have just kicked on from the promotion last year but we want better, we want more and I think tonight we put in a good performance and grafted so hard,” he continued.

“Obviously we are down but we are realising that we have come so far and come Thursday we will be on the training pitch to put it right.

“You could see at the start of the season that we weren’t putting in the performances that the manager and the club asked for, but I think now – front to back – we are working so well as a unit. We grafted so well together, up and down the pitch, so to get the killer blow is a sickening feeling.”