Manager on the final four games
Darrell Clarke says he is determined to see Bristol Rovers playing in League Two next season.
Rovers have ‘four cup finals’ left to secure league status, and the manager is confident we can do that if everyone pulls together.
He said: “I am determined to get us over the line, and I will do. The supporters have been fantastic all season, we lost them on Saturday, and we have to get them back on side, and I am determined we are going to do that.
“I believe in the players, I believe we will bounce back and whichever players put on the shirt, I will make sure they wear it with pride.
“We are all in this together, and the fans will be behind us, as they know the situation we are in.
“We are fighting for our lives and we have got to be up for that fight.
“We need our strong players to stay strong, and we need the ones who haven’t been so strong to come up to the plate and make sure they are focussed on what needs to be done.”
It will be a massive game for Rovers at Portsmouth on Saturday, with over 18,000 fans, and 2,300 Gasheads expected to fill Fratton Park.
Darrell said: “It is a great game for us; there will be 18,000 fans there, against a Portsmouth team in good form. It is up to the boys to rise to the occasion.
“If you are not up for this game you shouldn’t be playing football.
“I know Andy Awford very well, and he has been at the club for his whole career. He knows all about the players and the fans are right behind him – he has lifted the whole club and brought it all together."
Rovers still have their destiny in their own hands, and the manager believes we have to look forward.
He said: “It is a massive game, there is no papering over the cracks. There are four cup finals, and this is the first one.
“We go into the game knowing where we need to be, we are not going to be in the bottom two, and there might be an opportunity to move up some places if we get the win we are looking for.
“It is in our hands, and we have to do a lot better than we did on Saturday.
“However, none of the past matters now, it is about pulling together and making sure we go out there and do this football club justice.”
In team news, Danny Woodards and Michael Smith have missed training earlier this week.
Darrell said: “Danny and Michael have missed the early part of the week in training, but we hope they are going to come through alright.
“Chris Beardsley has an ongoing knee problem, which we have had to manage. So we will look at those three.
“Fabian got through 60 minutes on Tuesday, his knee has swollen up a little bit, but we are hoping to have him out on the training pitch tomorrow.”
For the full interview visit Gas Player.