Joel Senior was left frustrated after his Bristol Rovers side fell to a 2-0 loss to Oldham Athletic in Sky Bet League Two.
The Pirates were looking to bounce back from defeats against Chesterfield and Cambridge United with a midweek victory under the lights at Boundary Park. However, they found themselves a goal behind almost immediately when Kane Drummond crashed in the opener within the first 35 seconds of the contest.
Oldham were winless in their last four outings, losing three games on the spin before a draw with Fleetwood Town in their last game. As a result, the Gas knew chances would come, but they could not convert any of their opportunities before Mike Fondop doubled the Latics' lead, netting the rebound after Brad Young saved his penalty.
Battling against a team just a few places above them in the Sky Bet League Two, Senior explained how his side should have got something out of the contest, especially after the way they reacted to going behind.
“I’m as frustrated as everyone at the minute. It’s not good enough; we should be winning these games," he told BRTV. "Obviously, we got caught early with a wonder goal, and then we had a wobble, and I thought we created some good chances and probably should go in at half-time at least drawing, probably winning. It’s a frustrating night for the whole club, but especially for us boys in there."
Rovers had big chances to level the score before conceding a second goal that stretched Oldham's advantage. Joe Quigley headed wide under pressure from close range before Luke Thomas fired a first-time strike over on his return to the side. The Pirates were on top for most of the contest, but goals change games, and the hosts hit the back of the net at crucial times to earn the victory.
“We created chances, but if you don’t put the ball in the net, it’s going to be a tough evening," said Senior. "I thought we created some good chances; we were the team that were on top and pushing for the goal, but then in the second half, I gave away the penalty, which is debatable. We still go on and create more chances, but we don’t score, and we come away with the defeat, which is massively disappointing.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s on us boys. That’s football, we need to react in those moments, and we should score the chance, but then when you don't, it can bite you, and that’s what it's done. We’ve been caught, and we’re two-nil down, and it’s very hard to get back into the game then.
“We played alright, but it’s still not good enough. If you perform well, then it’s a positive, but if you don’t come away with anything, then it doesn’t really mean anything. So, I thought we showed some good spells out there, but ultimately, we came away with a defeat, which is the most important thing."
The Pirates are back at The Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Gas have been strong at home recently, claiming back-to-back triumphs over Newport County and Walsall before a narrow 3-2 defeat to Chestrfiled that could have gone either way.
Grimsby Town are the visitors on Saturday, with the Marines unbeaten in nine in the fourth tier, winning six and keeping eight clean sheets in that time. However, Senior knows the Gasheads will be right behind them all the way.
"We need to show up, perform, and we know the fans will be behind us like they are every game, even here tonight and every away ground," said the defender. We need to put on a performance for them, and hopefully we can come away with three points. We need to take each game as it comes, but back at home, we’ve been playing well there, so hopefully, we can come away with a win."
