It was a difficult evening for Bristol Rovers, who fell to a 2-0 defeat to Cambridge United in the first round of the Carabao Cup. However, Head Coach Darrell Clarke is sure there won't be many outings like that in the future and is looking forward.
The Pirates were looking to kick-start their season after back-to-back defeats to start their Sky Bet League Two campaign, but started slowly and conceded either side of half-time.
Louis Appéré netted the opener with a clinical finish before former Gas forward doubled Cambridge's advantage with a clever header past Luke Southwood.
After the fixture, Clarke reflected on the disappointing performance but was quick to state that teams he has led often get off to slow starts before enjoying a successful season and is sure his Rovers team will follow the same pattern.
Darrell, what is your overall view of tonight’s game?
"It was a painful watch. There is no hiding from that fact. We were a million miles away from where we needed to be. I think there are a lot of circumstances in and around that as well, but it was a painful night. It was painful watching that, to be honest with you, but it’s where we’re at, I’m afraid.
"More work and more mentality. I still see players a little bit scarred. I still see players trying to find their feet a little bitand get the rhythm. But like I said to the players after the game on the pitch, you’ve got to stomach this up because those performances won’t be accepted by me or the supporters. So, you’ve got to dig deep and understand that next time you come out, be miles better."
The manner of the goals must have left you immensely frustrated...
"It’s not just the goals, it’s the performance in general, to be honest with you. The goals are poorly conceded, and we’re a little bit lightweight in the backline as things stand with circumstances. So, we do look a little bit soft at the minute. We do look fragile. We do look like we’re not anywhere near a team at the minute. That’s up to myself and the coaching staff to get that a lot better."
"I’ll take the pressure off the players, and I know where we’re going to be heading, and we’re a million miles away from that. So, it’s another painful night for us.
You made the changes at the break, but was it two you had planned?
"Alfie Kilgour’s calf really tightened up. We know the centre-back situation, so there’s no way that I could afford to risk that. I’ve got Promise Omochere and Josh McEachran on the bench, but I've got to be careful with their minutes and their load because of Promise’s injury record last season. I can’t afford to play him Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday off the bat.
"These are the things that are always going to stop getting some rhythm.
Fabrizio is coming in fresh, but he played his first 60 to 65 minutes the other day. There are so many circumstances around why that performance is as bad as it is, but I always take accountability for that. It’s a painful night, but I also know there won’t be loads of nights like that."
You’ve talked about the experience you had in the National League, where you didn’t start too well and picked up. Can you refer back to that?
"The fortunate thing in my career is that I’ve never taken over clubs that have been flying. Bristol Rovers last time, at Port Vale, I didn’t win in the first seven games, won nine out of 11 out of the last and got promoted the next year.
"What I am trying to get with that is I understand the process that we’re going through at the minute, but not to say I’mhappy about it, by the way. Obviously, I’m not happy about it. We want to be getting on a better start, but I also understand what needs to be done to be able to make sure the pain is as short as possible because it is painful at the minute, I get it.
"I do understand that the fans get it to a certain extent as well. A lot of fans are going to hate me saying it, but we have to be a little bit patient to get to where we need to get to. Until I can change the mentality around the club and one or two player changes, there will be more painful times like this, but then we’ll go stronger."
You said you will take accountability, but are there some players who should be taking accountability?
"We all have to. Players do, but I’m also not getting on too many players' backs at the minute because I could tear strips out of the changing room, and they have probably deserved it and needed it, but I don’t think that will be the rightresponse at the minute because one or two are a bit scarred.
"I think the connection between the players and the fans is nowhere near [where we need it]. We can see that. I understand that from the disappointment of last season, we haven’t got off to a good start this season. I am a calculated guy. Every minute of my day, I’m thinking about what needs to be said, what needs to be done and how we need to work.
"But the fact of the matter is, we need to get a few more bodies in, get the players that have joined the Club to settle in better and get them in the rhythm quicker and also make sure the players that were here last year are not carrying on performances as bad as they were tonight."
Ellis Harrison got his first start since coming back to the Football Club. Is he one of the positives to come out of tonight?
"We know what he is going to give as soon as we get him fitter and get him a bit sharper. We know what he’s going to bring. We know how much he cares about the Club, and you can already see he’s one of the shining lights of tonight, getting 55 minutes under his belt, being the nuisance up top and winning a lot of contacts. When we get Promise up to the speed and Fabrizio [Cavegn], all of a sudden, our frontline is looking a lot tastier."
