Here are the five key topics from Darrell Clarke's final 2017/18 season pre-match press conferenc
SOUTHEND UNITED...
The last installment of the 2017/18 season will take place in Essex and Darrell insists his side will perform despite nothing riding on the game.
"We want to put in a good performance against a side who have picked up since Chris Powell's gone in."
"We know we've got nothing to play for except pride, but we'll try and win the game and finish on a positive."
MENTAL BREAK...
Rovers approach the conclusion of the campaign and after Saturday's game at Southend, will get a much needed rest ahead of the new season.
"Mentally the slog over the course of the season does make you look forward to a bit of a break but... you don't really get one!
"It's nice to come away from the mental pressure that I put myself under but a few weeks off and you're itching to get back at it.
"What I enjoy about having a bit of a break away from the mental competitiveness of the games, the preparation but we've still got a job to do on Saturday."
BRINGING PLAYERS THROUGH...
Luke Russe, Mo Baghdadi and Michael Kelly have all made their EFL debuts and are three of many Development Squad and Academy prospects to be handed professional deals this season; testament to the approach of the club's player progression.
"This week we've had Lee Mansell and Tom Parrinello bring up five of the youth lads to first team training as a reward for their hard work so that's been an enjoyable experience for them."
"We want to be a football club that shows there is a pathway into the first team and you can see that from the amount of current first team players that have come through the system."
"It can be a bit of a shock for some of the younger lads coming up with the intensity the first team is at and takes them a while to get used to it."
SQUAD DEPTH...
"I wouldn't necessarily want a larger squad, for me it's more about the quality over quantity."
"We go about it a different way to a lot of other clubs, by producing our own players."
TOMMY WIDDRINGTON...
This week it was announced that the club had taken on a new Head of Recruitment, an addition that Darrell endorsed personally.
"I've brought Tommy in to add value to the structure that we're building here and keeping moving forward."
"It was important that I got somebody in that knows me and how I work; it's certainly my own appointment."
"Tommy knows what sort of players tick the boxes for me and nowadays in football you need a good head of recruitment and I think we've got one."
"He's done a fantastic job at Coventry, he's very experienced so it's a good acquisition to the club."