Head Coach Darrell Clarke is expecting a front-footed approach from his Bristol Rovers side against Barrow at The Memorial Stadium.
The Pirates had a tough start to the 2025/26 Sky Bet League Two season, but a 0-0 draw at home to Oldham Athletic gave them a platform to build from, with Clarke's side winning each game in the fourth tier since.
Rovers earned their first victory with a 1-0 triumph over Cambridge United at The Mem before collecting back-to-back wins on the road, beating Grimsby Town 1-0 thanks to a Macauley Southam-Hales stunner before a thrilling 3-2 win over Newport County.
Barrow have only won two of their seven games in Sky Bet League Two this season, but Clarke admitted his side must earn the right to win. Speaking to the media before the game, Clarke reflected on recent results before previewing the upcoming game.
CLARKE ON THE RECENT RESULTS
“I think it’s the consistency of work, to be honest with you. The games in the past are done. I’ve always said this, as soon as we’ve done our review on Monday, post-match review of what we wanted to work on, what we wanted to see, the good, the bad, that consistency of work. Then it’s just put to bed, and we focus on the next game.
“I know that’s pretty boring, but I think when you do that, whether you’ve won, drawn, or lost, that is the real focus. That we’re moving on to the next project, we’re moving onto the next game, and that’s what it is.
“We can’t change the games in the past, and you can’t predict the future, so we’re just trying to move on and plan as we normally do. It's always easier to plan when you’re winning football matches.
“By the way, when I say easier to plan, it’s happier to plan! You’re in a happier place, the lads are in a happier place, because you’ve won your last game, so that always comes into play.”
CLARKE ON NO MIDWEEK GAMES
“It’s just the focus of working the week, we know what this division is like, we know every game brings its own challenges. Barrow will bring their challenges into play on Saturday, so we know every game is tough, and you’ve got to earn the right to win every game at the elite level.”
AREAS FOR THE SQUAD TO WORK ON
“Everywhere consistently, on the in possession, our possession stuff, set plays, just making sure that we’re getting better. You know, we started off on the small layers.
“We have to when we come into a new environment, a new group, new players, you’re always trying to get the basics in, the basic principles of what we’re trying to do and what we’ll work on, and then it’s layering it up.
“Getting fitter, getting stronger, getting more organised, getting more well drilled and making sure that all aspects of our game are getting to the highest level we can possibly get to.”
PARTNERSHIP ON THE PITCH
“Yeah, I think it’s like anything, the last 15 minutes at Newport, watching the whole game back, and players having to come off and a change in formation, we still didn’t defend their two goals very well.
“I’ll hold account for the forced changes, but we still needed to do better in defensive moments of the game and in that particular game, so there are always areas. We’ve had a few clean sheets before that.
“If you’re getting clean sheets, then you’ve got every opportunity to win a lot more football games, so the basis of our work is that.
“We conceded a hell of a lot of goals, as a football club, the last season, is something that, if you’re going to be successful, you’ve got to get your goals against you down. That’s a known fact. So, making sure that that area for the 90 full minutes of the game lasts, we’re in full concentration mode to not give easy opportunities and give easy goals away.”
ELLIS HARRISON
“Ellis is at 75 per cent as well, to be fair. We’ve had a good chat with Ellis. I’ve worked with Ellis a few times; we’ve sold him for £750,000 to Ipswich seven or eight years ago.
“I believe Ellis has always been at his best. When he gets the balls in the box, he arrives in the box at the same time, he lands on things at the right time, and that’s why he’s scoring goals while I’ve been managing him, because we like to get the ball in the box.
“His work’s been positive, he’s training hard, but he’s still at 75 per cent. I think after the back end of this month, I think we’ll start seeing Ellis in a better position as well with the fitness levels we’re working with him.”
CLARKE ON THE RECENT GOALS
“It’s nice to score, obviously, we scored three goals, it’s an area of the game that we need to get better at in that final third.
“We’re getting the ball in the right areas a lot of the time, but we still have a lot of work to do, and there’s a lot of work to do on the build from building together in that area of the pitch.
"Whether that be long-build, short-build. So, all areas, all aspects of the game, have to continuously be getting better.”
PLAYERS BACK FROM INTERNATIONAL BREAK
“We didn’t have a massive squad, it’s reduced massively from the numbers we had previously, but we’ve got competition for places, we’ve still got lads settling into the Club.
“Joel Cotterill comes into the wreckening, and Luke was on international leave, but he’s back, so we’ve got options. We’ve got one or two injuries as well, but we’re happy with the options we’ve got now. But it’s the continuous work we’ve got to do because you don’t just happen.
“You don’t just turn up and go ‘here you go, go and have a good game to the new lads, it’s about getting connections right across the pitch because all successful teams have that consistency of connections. “
BARROW PREVIEW
“A tough game. I think these games over the years I’ve been managing that football club, these are the games where everybody expects us to just win, but what I want is a really good atmosphere and a really good atmosphere in the stadium.
“I want the lads to put on a real front-foot performance and get after them. So, we want to make sure that these games, not everybody is just turning up expecting us to win.
“Just because they’re on a bit of a bad run, we’re on a decent run over the last few games, we have to earn the right to win football matches, and we need everybody up for it. We’re nowhere near the stage or anywhere near being a finished team altogether, so we need everyone to raise it, and it’ll be a tough game.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Whing, he did a good job at Solihull and he’s gone into Barrow and he’s been doing well last season, but despite the start of this season, I’m sure they’ll kick on up the league.”
