Darrell Clarke will be looking to make history with Bristol Rovers this weekend and lead the Club to their first ever victory away at Accrington Stanley.
The Pirates have lost six and drawn two of their fixtures on the road to Stanley in their eight visits in the Football League, with the Pirates hoping they can put that difficult run to an end and get their Sky Bet League Two form back on track.
Rovers have won two of their three matches in November, beating Bromley in the Emirates FA Cup and Plymouth Argyle in the Vertu Trophy, but have lost their previous five fixtures in the fourth tier, with their last win coming against Salford City at the end of September.
Speaking to the media before the fixture, Clarke reflected on the win over Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night before discussing the options in the attack and the test Accrington will bring.
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE REFLECTIONS
“Winning games is obviously important. The performance was probably a bit of a repeat of Saturday, as in loads and loads of the ball and nowhere near enough end product.
“So, it was a frustrating night, but we won the game at the end of it, job done. We had already qualified, and we won the group to get a home draw. That was ticked off, but obviously a lot of work to do with our final bit of play. The build was pretty much played in their half, but we didn’t have the answers in the final third for a couple of games, and we need to get better in that area.”
DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY IN THE ATTACK
“Of course, you do [have to change] because Promise Omochere and Ellis Harrison are a physical presence in the box and getting more deliveries in the box is obvious when you have bigger centre forwards that are going to get on the end of it.
“We have had more tens, and Fabrizio Cavegn is the only on the shoulder nine. So, we have had to be adaptable. We have created enough chances to probably score more goals; however, we should be creating a hell of a lot more from the territory that we’ve got. We have got to keep working away, chipping away and working with what we have got until the other personnel come back.
“You always want consistency as a manager, obviously you do, but you have to find different ways when you have got the personnel that aren't available at the moment to find a way to create and score more chances.
“Fabrizio is a really sharp player who likes space to run in behind and stretch the line. When teams are sat deep, you have to have better technical players at the top end to be able to slip and slide and to get that final end product. So, we’re trying to score, should we say, the perfect goal at times because of the way things are at the minute, but we have to do better at that.
“That’s not an excuse. We have got to do better at that, and in the last two games, we have certainly had a ridiculous number of passes and possession and not created anywhere near what I would expect us to create. Our forward-thinking players have to do better, I’m under no illusions with that, and we have to do better to make sure that we get those final connections with that when we are getting that when we are getting that territory.”
THE PROCESS
“There is a lot of work to be done. I don’t get stressed over the process of where we need to get to. I’ve worked with the group now for 14 or 15 weeks of competitive games, and I understand where we are falling massively short.
“We will keep working on the players that we’ve got in the building to maximise what they are about and what they’ve got to offer, and then we’ll keep working when the windows come because I know what I am doing and I know where we need to be heading. We’ve just got to keep that focus, keep the spirit high and try and build on the win from Tuesday night.”
THE GASHEADS
“I can’t speak highly enough of our fans because they are not stupid, I think they know where we are, they know what I’m trying to do and where I’m going to get. When the players put in a performance or they give their all and they’re trying to implement what we’ve been asking them to do, the fans will get behind it. If you are going to perform the way we did and chuck the towel in those games in October, they are going to let you know the other way, but they always give you a chance.
“I say it to my players on a regular basis. I have never felt, ever, going out in front of our fans that they won’t get behind us and give us a chance to build a platform so they can get behind us and support the team, and they can clap us off. So, we need to make more performances like that.”
ACCRINGTON STANLEY PREVIEW
“It’s a club that I think deserves a lot of respect because it’s been run the right way. Accrington in League One, with John Coleman, were certainly punching well above their weight, and they continue to do that. So, it’s a club that is well respected by me, and I know it’s such a tough place to go, but we are going up there with a plan and to put up a performance that brings us back the win.”
