Fabrizio Cavegn believes his Bristol Rovers side should have done more after conceding a trio of second-half goals to lose 3-2 to Bromley in Sky Bet League Two.
The Pirates looked like they were heading for their first victory since September in Steve Evans’ first fixture as Rovers’ Head Coach at The Mem when goals from Jack Sparkes and Fabrizio Cavegn had given them a two-goal lead at the break. Still, they were made to regret missed chances in a dominant display.
Shaq Forde’s red card soon after half-time gave the Ravens a man advantage, and the visitors made the most of it, with a goal from Nicke Kabamba and a brace from Ben Thompson turning the score around.
Speaking to BRTV after the fixture, Cavegn was disappointed with the defeat and the way his side conceded.
"It’s very difficult," he said. "We went up two-nil, then in half-time two-nil, we came out, and we said we had to keep going, we have to do the same, we have to do more.
"We said we want to make it three-nil with the next goal. And then, the second yellow card, we were playing with 10 men, and we started struggling. Then they scored, two-one, we said we had to stop the crosses and be aggressive, be on the ball, start defending right, stop the crosses, and we didn’t do that.
Rovers scored twice in the first half, with a thumping effort from Sparkes followed by a fine finish from Cavegn into the bottom corner, but the striker could have netted more than his solitary strike on Friday afternoon.
The 23-year-old got off to an electric start to the fixture when he raced behind the Bromley defence but curled his strike wide. With the game at 2-0, the striker could have added his second when he broke into the box, dragging his attempt wide of the post.
Cavegn, who has nine goals across all competitions, was pleased with his team's efforts in the attack in the first half but was left frustrated that he could not add further goals to his tally.
"I think it was a very good half," said Cavegn. "We played a lot with the ball, we said we want to play with the ball and keep going, we started playing, everyone wanted the ball, we created chances.
"I can score another one. I have to score three goals, but I’m not happy with my chances. I scored one, but I have to score two or three. But it was a good first half."
The Pirates' task of gaining three points on Boxing Day was made tougher when Forde was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Ashley Charles, with Evans' men playing the majority of the second half with ten men.
Nevertheless, Cavegn suggested the Gas could have done more to stop Bromley from scoring, adding that another goal from him could have seen the points stay at The Mem.
"It’s more difficult when we’re on the pitch, you need concentration," said the striker. "You have to do everything, you have to stop the crosses, you have to defend, and then you see that they can score. You ask yourself what more can we do? We have to do more, be more aggressive, and defend better. Taking it also on my head, I can score more goals, and maybe we could win the game."
The Pirates only have a matter of days before they play again, welcoming Barnet to The Mem on Monday for their final fixture of 2025. Despite losing to Bromley, positives can be taken from the number of chances the Gas created against the high-flying Ravens, with Cavegn sure they can build on the positives from the first half.
"In football, if you have games, if there are a lot of games, you can do it in a few days, you can turn it around," he said. "But you have to look back and see what we did wrong, what we can do better, keep going, and we can build on it, on the first half."
