Clinton Mola was pleased with the way his Bristol Rovers team dug deep to secure another important win on Saturday afternoon, with the Gas putting in a battling performance in their 1-0 triumph over Rotherham United.
The Gas had won their previous three fixtures in Sky Bet League Two, winning by two-goal margins against Newport County, Crawley Town and Colchester United, controlling the majority of each contest before coming away with a victory.
However, no two games are the same in football, with Rovers having to stay strong to secure all three points against Rotherham United. Tommy Leigh struck the winner in the first half, but the Millers did not make it easy for the Gas.
Although Alex Bruce's men did not truly test Brad Young, they went close when Fábio Tavares rattled the bar and could have levelled if it was not for some brave defending from the Gas, who kept their third straight clean sheet.
Speaking to BRTV after the match, Mola was glad his side could secure another important win to stay top of the Sky Bet League Two table, with the 25-year-old giving plenty of credit to the defenders.
REFLECTIONS ON THE GAME
“It's another big win. It's another performance where the boys had to dig deep, and a third clean sheet on the bounce.
“The quality wasn't always there at times. Today against Rotherham, we had to dig deep. We had to battle; they are a decent side. They play some decent football, but it's all about putting a shift in, and that's what we've done today.”
THE WINNER FROM TOMMY LEIGH
“Tommy's a maverick in our team. He has the license to get about and get forward; he took his finish well, and I think the other side of his game, he works hard as well. If everyone works hard, we get results like today.
NINE POINTS FROM THREE GAMES IN A BUSY WEEK
“That's the main thing. The gaffer set up his objective and told us today that he wants us to remain top of the league, and we've done that. So obviously we rest, we recover, and we go again next Saturday.
THIRD STRAIGHT CLEAN SHEET
“That's credit to the back boys and Brad. They put in some big blocks, some big tackles, some big headers, and obviously it's infectious throughout the whole team, through Rich and me and the front four. So yeah, they were excellent today.”
PARTNERSHIP WITH RICHIE SMALLWOOD
“Richie and me, we built our partnership towards the back end of last season, and I think we complement each other well. I think we’ve both got the same mindset; we’re both tenacious.
“We both like to get about the pitch, put in a challenge and obviously be composed on the ball as well. He's good for me to learn from as well. It's good playing with Rich.”
MOVING INTO MIDFIELD
“It's where I feel most comfortable. It's where I feel like I can showcase myself the best, and yeah, it's been different for me at this club since I've moved into midfield, and long may it continue.”
PERFORMANCES AT THE MEM
“Obviously the fans have backed us on Tuesday and today backed us again, and you can see around the 75th, 80th minute, 85th minute when it was a bit flat from us, they kept singing, they kept lifting us up, and yeah, they got us over the line as well.
“If we want to obviously achieve our goals, we’ll have to make The Mem a fortress, and it is a fortress right now, and the fans are a 12th man, so we're going to have to keep digging and putting in shifts and results like today.”
NO MIDWEEK FIXTURE
“We get a little bit of a rest now, and we'll come in Monday, and we'll obviously analyse today, and then preparation turns to next Saturday.”
"Going to Grimsby and going to these places is always going to be tough, but I think we're in good form, we've got good momentum, and we're going to be going there to get some points as well."
