Paul Trollope was a fairly happy man this afternoon, after watching his side more than match top flight Dutch outfit ADO Den Haag at the Memorial Stadium.

Rovers were edged out by the odd goal in a five-goal clash, with Rickie Lambert and Ben Hunt on the scoresheet for the home side.

After the final whistle, Paul said there were lots of positives for him to take from the encounter, especially as his team was missing a number of probable first choice names.

"There was a lot to take from the game, plenty of positives," Paul told bristolrovers.co.uk, "We were missing five or six of the main first team players, but it was a good competitive match and one we can take a lot out of.

"A number of players were given a chance today, and some of them really took it. The fans will have been disappointed not to have seen Jeff Hughes and Darryl Duffy in action, but it's about getting everyone fit for the start of the season, not taking unnecessary risks, and most will be back and firing ready for next Saturday."

Paul had particular praise for his strikers, who grabbed a goal each after playing for around an hour together.

"Rickie (Lambert) and Ben (Hunt) formed a good partnership, and we were pleased with the way they linked up," he said, "Rickie is a big lad, and no disrespect to him but he sometimes takes a while to get going.

"But on Wednesday against Rotherham he flicked a switch and he produced an exceptional display in the second half. He continued in the same vein today, and he is an integral part of what we're trying to do here.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Rickie and Darryl (Duffy) get a partnership going that can really trouble defenders in League One, and after his 90 minutes today, Rickie will go into cotton wool until next weekend.

"As for Ben, his scored a good goal and by his own admission he could have had two or three more. We saw at the end of last season in the reserves that he linked play well and held the ball up well, and he showed more signs of that today."