Josh McEachran lifted the crowd at The Memorial Stadium into raptures when he netted the first goal in Bristol Rovers' 2-1 victory over Barrow in Sky Bet League Two, but the midfielder admitted his perfect-looking finish from range was a moment of luck.
With Rovers dominating the first half, a goal was needed to reward the hosts for all their efforts. When Joel Senior's dangerous corner from the left was cleared as far as McEachran, the midfielder whipped a first-time cross into the box to keep the attack alive. However, instead of finding an attacker, the 32-year-old's attempt sailed over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Fabrizio Cavegn doubled the Pirates' lead from close range just before the half-hour mark, before Barrow's Connor Mahoney pulled one back for the visitors, but Darrell Clarke's men held onto their advantage to claim their fourth straight win in the league.
Despite his qualities, McEachran's goal was his first since 2018. The midfielder reflected on his goal before insisting he should be getting more involved in his team's attacking output.
“I didn’t mean it, to be fair,” he said. “I just wanted to whip it across the six-yard box, and with the wind, it helped it a little bit, and I got the goal.
“To be honest, I thought it was going to be a bad cross, but the closer it got, I knew it was going to go in. The goalkeeper was scrambling a little bit. I’m happy to get my first goal of the season, and I’m happier with the three points.
McEachran added, “I need to get in and around the box a little bit more. I’m usually playing in that deep-lying midfield position, and I’m not really on the set pieces at the moment in this team because we’ve got great deliverers, like Jack Sparkes. That’s no excuse. I definitely need to get a few more goals.”
Rovers had a two-goal lead in the first half, but could have been further ahead after creating plenty of chances. Promise Omochere, who unsettled Barrow's defence all afternoon, thumped the outside of the net with a right-footed shot, with some of the home fans thinking the forward had scored. McEachran was pleased with the victory, but pinpointed areas his side could improve.
“It was a great result, four [wins] in a row,” said the midfielder. “I thought we did some things really well, and then we were quite sloppy in other aspects of the game. I thought in the first half, we had control in moments, but not complete control like we want to at home.
“We just didn’t get going in the second half, and I think we need to take more responsibility. Obviously, I know it was windy, but with the long kicks, I think we may need to play a little bit more because we were just kicking into them, really, and it was coming straight back. But I don’t want to take away the three points. I thought it was a great result, so now we look forward to next Saturday.”
McEachran is playing in a talented midfield alongside Deadline Day addition Alfie Chang, who joined on loan from Birmingham City and Kamil Conteh, who has started every game in Sky Bet League Two this term.
The 32-year-old was full of praise for the duo and cannot wait to play more games alongside them.
“Alfie came in last week, did really well and got an assist for Ellis Harrison’s goal,” he said. “He’s a great, great young player, so I'm really excited to play alongside him. Kamil, I’ve played against him before, so I know his qualities. I definitely think he can go up a few levels. So, I’m really excited to play alongside them.”
After a difficult start to the season, Rovers are full of confidence after winning their last four games in the league, with the Pirates now unbeaten in six fixtures across all competitions. McEachran, who is one of the most experienced players in the squad after making almost 400 senior appearances in his career, stressed the importance of his side having a winning mentality.
“That’s the mindset we need to have,” he said. “We don’t go into any games where we want to draw and hold on. We need to go and take it to the opposition. So, that’s all we need to do, carry on this run.”
