Going around the Bristol Rovers dressing room, it would not be easy to find a more popular scorer than Bryant Bilongo.
The defender scored the only goal in the Gas' 1-0 victory against Bath City on Wednesday night, latching onto substitute Josh McEachran's cross to drive his first-time strike into the back of the net from close range.
It was the 23-year-old's first goal for the Pirates since his stoppage time strike on his English Football League debut at The Memorial Stadium against Northampton Town on the opening day of the 2024/25 season, with the winning goal much deserved for Rovers.
The Pirates created plenty of chances before Bilongo crashed in the opener, with the former Middlesbrough man crediting his goal to McEachran's cross and all the work done in the past week.
“I do tell everyone that I’m a striker, but it was a perfect ball by Josh, and all I had to do was kick it in the goal,” he said. “It was a decent goal, really. I expected to score, I always am, but the coaches gave us a set-piece to do. We’ve been working on that a lot this past week and even in Spain, so I’m glad it worked out.”
Rovers had already played twice in pre-season before facing Bath, opening their campaign with a 2-1 triumph over Chippenham Town in Darrell Clarke's first game back in the dugout before a narrow 3-2 loss to Stockport County in Spain.
Despite the tight scoreline, the Gas could have enjoyed a much more comfortable victory, with Promise Omochere, Ruel Sotiriou and Shaq Forde creating great chances. Reflecting on the fixture, Bilongo was pleased with the performance and the opportunities his side created.
“It was a decent match,” said Bilongo. “They made it tough for us, but we had a plan that we set out and I think we did it. We won the game, which is the most important thing, and we kept a clean sheet. We made our chances, and now it’s just about how we finish them, and we’ll go on to do good things.”
Bilongo played the entire match against Bath at left centre-back, with Connor Taylor at the heart of the defence and Alfie Kilgour to his right. He has played a role in all three of Rovers' pre-season games and was delighted to keep a clean sheet.
“It was a bit tiring, and the legs are a bit worn out, but I am happy that I got it done,” he said. “All of us at the back managed to keep the clean sheet for the whole game, so it was good.
“It’s a good group. We work hard, as you could see today. No matter what minute of the game it was, we were always pressing, and we were always trying to do the right things.”
As stated previously, Bilongo played at left centre-back against Bath, but has previously shown that he can play at left-back and even higher up the pitch when required.
With a busy Sky Bet League Two campaign just around the corner, having a player who can fill different positions can be a great tool. Bilongo is used to playing at centre-back, but confessed he is happy to play anywhere if it means he can help the team.
“I used to play there before I came here with Middlesbrough,” said the 23-year-old. “So, it’s not like it’s anything new. Obviously, playing Premier League 2 with the U21s is different from playing it with men, but I’ve been playing there the whole of pre-season. Like I said, I have played there before, and it’s just about getting comfy there and not running around with the ball as much.
“The versatility helps me. I just want to be on the pitch, no matter what job they give me or where I play, as you saw last season, I will play anywhere as long as I am on the pitch, as long as it helps the team. With my size and being left-footed, everyone sees me as a centre-back anyway, so it’s good to be versatile. I can do most positions on the left side and up front, of course.”
Already, three pre-season games have been played, but the fixture schedule does not get any quieter for the Gas. Clarke's men travel to National League outfit Yeovil Town on Saturday before fixtures against Sky Bet Championship teams Coventry City and Oxford United the following week.
With plenty of new additions in the squad, Bilongo enjoys the number of games as it gives the team the chance to gel ahead of the season opener against Harrogate Town at the start of August.
“I think it’s good to get all of these games in because that’s how we really get ourselves together as a team,” he said. “That’s how we get to know each other on the pitch more and more, and it’s good to get minutes in the tank. Running around in training is a different fitness from a game. So, it's good that we have a good run of games to get that fitness in and bond as a team before the start of the season.”
