Bristol Rovers came so close to earning their first victory of the season in their 0-0 draw with Oldham Athletic at The Memorial Stadium, with Ryan Howley sure the Gas are going in the right direction.
The Pirates went into the contest after four consecutive defeats in all competitions, but quickly put the disappointing results behind them to put in a dominant display against the Latics.
Rovers had the best chances, with Alfie Kilgour seeing a header cleared off the line and Jack Sparkes crashing the bar with a free-kick. However, despite the number of chances the Gas created, they were unable to find a winner.
Reflecting on the result, Howley admitted there was frustration at not finding a winner but stressed the positives from the display.
"I think it’s a step in the right direction with a clean sheet," he said. "I think there was a lot more positive play today, just unlucky not to get the winner. It was nice to get the fans on the edge of their seats, and it was a much more positive feeling today.
"I think you can certainly tell in the second half, the chances going into their box, we had Sparkes at the crossbar. One cleared off the line from Alfie. We were so close, but it was not quite to be today.
Another highlight from Rovers' display was the clean sheet at The Mem. Rovers switched to a back-four formation, with captain Alfie Kilgour partnering new addition Kacper Łopata at centre-back. Oldham's attacking threat was largely nullified, with their only shot on target occurring after ten minutes when Kane Drummond struck a tame attempt straight at Luke Southwood.
Howley was pleased with Rovers' defensive display and said their tactical flexibility gives them different options.
"If you're getting clean sheets, you can't be losing games, which is always a good foundation to build from," said Howley. "It’s the first clean sheet this season, and hopefully we can carry that on.
"I think it's good to have that adaptability. We have done it a few times in games where we have either a five or a four. Today, obviously, we started with the four, and it worked, so credit to the staff for seeing that, and I think it's another good option to have going forward."
Howley is one of ten new players that have been brought into the Club this summer, after leaving Sky Bet Championship team Coventry, and has already displayed plenty of flexibility, playing at centre-back and central midfield. The 23-year-old wants to help the team in any way he can and has enjoyed his time at the Pirates so far.
"I’ve sort of always had that versatility throughout my career, sort of early on here,” he stated. “It’s a good option for the manager. If I can play in central midfield, centre-back, right wing-back, it's all only positive, really. If the team needs my help, then hopefully I can provide it.
"It’s a good group of lads. Obviously, I've been here now for two months, so it's still early days, but it's been good to get to know the lads as there are people from all different backgrounds and stuff, and it’s a really good group.
Rovers have the chance to build on their strong performance against Oldham with another fixture at The Mem on Saturday, and are up against familiar opponents. The Pirates welcome Cambridge United for the second time this month and will be looking to get revenge after losing 2-0 to the U’s in the first round of the Carabao Cup.
Howley wants to go one better and claim all three points against Cambridge, but knows his team will be facing a different challenge to the one they did in the Carabao Cup.
“I think on Saturday we will have more fans there, more to cheer us on,” said Howley. "Hopefully, we will build on tonight's performance and go one further and win the game.
"[The last game] was a cup game. So, it won't be the same team and formations, but certainly the principles can be. We know our performance wasn’t good enough, so we will definitely be trying to put that right.”
