Ciarán Kelly believes Bristol Rovers' goalless draw with Swindon Town is something they can build on after a tough run of results in Sky Bet League Two.
The Pirates came into the day off the back of four consecutive defeats in the fourth tier and knew they were up against a difficult opposition in Swindon, who beat in-form outfit Barnet 3-1 at The Hive on Tuesday night.
Matty Virtue and Aaron Drinan went close to scoring for the Robins early on, but the visitors were kept quiet in the attacking third after that, with the Gas limiting them to very little. Rovers had a few half-chances, with Fabrizio Cavegn forcing Connor Ripley into a strong save, but the game finished goalless.
It was Rovers' first draw of the campaign, but a fifth clean sheet of the season has given the Gas something to build on after a difficult period. Speaking to BRTV after the fixture, Kelly enjoyed playing in a fierce derby and the test Swidon gave the defence.
REFLECTIONS ON THE GAME
"It was a battle. We knew it was going to be, with it being a derby, but I suppose it's a point that we can take and move on from, hopefully build on it over the next few games.
“We can't shy away from it. The performances and results haven't been good enough in the last couple of weeks. But again, it was a tough game, so to get a clean sheet is something that we can build on.”
A CLEAN SHEET
"If we can score, it's always vital to keep a clean sheet because you're not going to lose the game then. But hopefully next game we can keep a clean sheet and score a few goals as well.”
PLAYING WITH ALFIE KILGOUR AND KOFI BALMER
“Playing with three at the back over the last couple of games feels good. It feels like it's working, and I think we passed the ball a lot more today. I think the whole team in general looked a lot more solid, so hopefully we can build on that.
“I think in the first ten minutes we got lucky, to be fair. They had a chance which they probably should have taken. But other than that, I think for 75 or 80 minutes we were rock solid.”
A RESULT AGAINST A GOOD TEAM
“I think it's just the fact of it being a derby as well. It's always going to be a tough game, no matter who the opposition is. Derbies are always like that, chaos. So, to come away with a point, we would have preferred to win, but it's something to build on.
"There were a few spicy tackles, but that's the way we like it. So yeah, hopefully more to come.”
THE GASHEADS
“The crowd have been unbelievable over the last few games, even when we've been under pressure and not getting the results. So, to have them there today, backing every tackle, every throw-in, every ball, it was great.”
SET PIECE OPPORTUNITIES
“I think we had a few first contacts. Obviously not massive ones, but it could have broken for us at some stage. We're just not getting the rub of the green at the moment, so hopefully that changes over the next few games.
“We have a few big lads in there, so I think we're looking to get a few more first contacts and hopefully a few more goals in the coming games.”
STARTING POSITION
"Obviously, I feel like it takes a few games to get up to speed, and I feel like I'm slowly getting into that now. So hopefully we can keep the run going.”
FLEETWOOD PREVIEW
“The results haven't been good enough, and hopefully we can build on that nil-nil and go to Fleetwood and get the win.
“We look to go into every game and try to win it. So it shouldn't be any different whether we're away from home or at home, because the crowd are always unbelievable as well. We'll look to go there and get the win.”
