Joel Cotterill believes Bristol Rovers' win over Bromley was much needed and will give the team confidence heading into the coming weeks.
After a scintillating September, winning three of their four fixtures in an unbeaten month before four from five in all competitions across October. However, November was a chance to draw a line under a disappointing set of results.
A new month and a new competition saw the Pirates travel to Bromley in the first round of the Emirates FA Cup, with the Gas taking a two-goal lead in the second half thanks to efforts from Fabrizio Cavegn and Cotterill before Jemiah Umolu grabbed a consolation for the hosts.
The midfielder was pleased with the result and the way his team dealt with Bromley's attack threat.
"I think after the past three weeks, especially in October, this was needed, definitely," said Cotterill. "I couldn’t ask any more of the boys, and what a reaction. We wanted to get into that second away round of the FA Cup, and we’ve come here and we’ve achieved that. So, we’ve just got to look forward to whoever we get and kick on on Saturday next week."
He later added: "Bromley are a team that want to stick the ball on you. They have got big target players, so they are very dangerous from set-pieces.
"I think getting that second goal was definitely massive for us, and I think when they scored, our mentality didn’t change. We didn’t drop, we still carried on playing the way we wanted to, and it’s a massive win for us."
Rovers showed plenty of fighting spirit to get into the second round of the Emirates FA Cup. After staying strong to keep the score level, with the Ravens piling the pressure on, a header from Cavegn and a close-range finish from Cotterill gave the Gas a two-goal lead.
However, Umolu's header made for a tight ending to the contest, especially with 11 minutes of additional time. Omar Sowunmi had the ball in the back of the net in stoppage time, but the goal was chalked out.
Cotterill believes the victory was all about their mentality and togetherness, with the players putting right their wrongs from the weekend before.
"I said last week in the interview that it’s a mentality thing, and I think the lads have shown that today," he said. "We know we have got the togetherness of the group. It is a great group of lads, and everyone gets on with everyone. So, I think we just looked back at the games to see where we were going wrong, and we put it right today. I think it is just a mentality thing, but today we showed that and got a result.
"That’s where we want to be. We knew they would be a team that wants to put the ball on top of teams, so our plan was to play, and I think we did that really, really well at times today. I think going forward, it’s definitely something we can do because we’ve got the players for it.
"Everyone is so good on the ball, but we knew it was going to be a challenge, and I think that we stuck to the game plan very well. I think getting this result will be a confidence booster for the whole team to take into the next week."
Cotterill netted his first Rovers goal since joining on loan from Swansea City in the summer transfer window. The 21-year-old has had restricted minutes since joining the Club due to injuries and international duty but has started back-to-back games for the Pirates.
His goal was vital, with the midfielder getting on the end of a low cross from Cavegn to score from close range. Cotterill loves the feeling of finding the back of the net and believes it will give him confidence going forward.
"There is no better feeling than scoring," he said. "It’s been tough for me, obviously, coping with an injury in the last month. I just want to get a run of games going, and I think that is a massive confidence booster going forward and to take into next Saturday. There is no better feeling than scoring.
"I think everyone knows that Fabrizio is a workhorse who doesn’t stop running. He played so well today, and I think it was the five [Omar Sowunmi] that I was on the back shoulder of, and it was a difficult angle for Fabrizio to work the goalkeeper. I thought he could just flash it across the box, so I made the movement in the last minute, and obviously, he’s found me, and I was there for the tap-in."
