Alfie Chang has taken no time at all to settle into life at Bristol Rovers.
The 23-year-old was the final of 14 summer signings for the Gas when he joined the Club in the closing moments of Deadline Day on loan from Birmingham City. However, despite missing pre-season and the start of the new campaign with his new team-mates, the midfielder has slotted into the side seamlessly.
Chang has started all three fixtures since moving from Blues, with the midfielder helping the Gas earn two wins and one draw, providing two assists. His debut could not have gone much better, with the youngster chipping a cross over to Ellis Harrison to score before also assisting Fabrizio Cavegn against the U's last time out.
Speaking to the media before our home clash against Salford, Chang reflected on his start at Rovers.
“I’m really enjoying it,” he said. “The lads are really good, and the staff are nice. So, I’ve settled in really well.
“It helps playing straight from when I came in to bond with the lads on the pitch and off the pitch. So, it’s alright. It’s just confidence. We had a good game at Newport, and that started things off confidently.”
Chang is enjoying his time on the pitch after suffering a serious knee injury in training whilst at Birmingham, which saw him miss 18 months of action. Before his injury, Chang had enjoyed a breakout season at Blues, making 17 first-team appearances.
The midfielder is getting back to his best, and after making five appearances for Walsall on the way to the Sky Bet League Two playoff final, his main aim is to get minutes under his belt.
“It’s just playing as much as possible,” said Chang. “I missed a lot of game time through injury. So, I’m glad I’ve got the opportunity here to play regular minutes.
“That would be massive for me, personally, making that 30 or 40 appearances in a season, showing that I am fit and showing that I can play regularly would be good. I think it’s difficult mentally to deal with not being in the team, being on the bench or not even being in the squad sometimes. So, it gives me confidence here that I am playing and being involved every week.
Chang has started alongside Josh McEachran and Kamil Conteh in the midfield for all three matches he has played in. With so many new additions to the squad, he is getting used to playing alongside new players and spoke about his relationship with McEachran and Conteh.
“I think we’re building as a team and game by game, that is slowly coming out more,” he said. “The bonds that we have on the pitch are starting to show, and hopefully it continues.
“We do a lot of work in training, the three of us in our shape. So, we know what each other are about, and we know our strengths, so we help each other out on the pitch. It gels nicely. We know how good Josh is on the ball, and that just gives me and Kamil a bit more freedom to get forward and be a bit more creative.
Chang has been part of a Rovers' team with plenty of momentum. The Gas have won four of their last six matches in Sky Bet League Two, drawing twice, and have a tough challenge awaiting them on Saturday.
Salford have earned 19 points from nine fixtures and are just two points behind first-placed Gillingham. The Ammies have won their previous three fixtures in the fourth tier, but Chang is confident in his team's abilities.
“I think for us, we’re just focusing on ourselves,” said Chang. “We know where they are in the league, but if we play to our strengths and we do what we normally do, then we’ll be alright.
“It gives us a lot of confidence. It gives the fans confidence that we’re aiming for the top, and hopefully it continues.”
