Jon Stead admitted that winning against Plymouth Argyle was the most important thing after the Gas beat the Pilgrims 1-0 in the Vertu Trophy.
The Pirates were searching for their first victory at The Memorial Stadium since September, knowing that a victory in normal time would be enough to see them finish top of the Southern Group B in the competition.
An early red card for Kornél Szűcs gave the Gas a man advantage within two minutes, but Rovers had to wait until the final moments of the game to see all of their pressure count. Kamil Conteh came up with the vital moment, poking in from close range after Luca Ashby-Hammond dropped the ball at his feet.
Speaking to BRTV after the fixture, Stead reflected on the victory, the confidence they can take from it and earning a home draw in the knockout stages.
How do you reflect on the victory over Plymouth in the Vertu Trophy?
“It was an interesting evening. I mean, first and foremost, it’s a victory, and I think that’s the most important thing. Ourselves and Plymouth came here this evening needing a victory, and we’ve got it over the line, so in that respect, we’re really pleased for the lads and pleased for the supporters. Hopefully, it’s something we can build on.
“There are areas where we need to be so much better, but at least we're getting ourselves into positions where we just need to connect that final bit in the final third. It is an area we must improve, and it was a similar story against Gillingham as well.
Plymouth were shown a red card within the first two minutes. Does that change your strategy?
“It changes the game plan in certain aspects because you’re looking at where the spaces are now. As a player, I played against ten men many times, and it’s not easy, especially against a team from a higher division, who I think started six of the same players that played tonight.
“It isn’t always easy, and it's about us making the right decisions at the right moments. We flipped the shape a little bit at times to try to gain that numerical advantage in the right areas.
“I think we got to the final third comfortably, it’s just that last bit, it’s unpicking the lock and making sure that we have that bit of quality which I think we’ve been lacking. It's in there, but we just need to show it on matchday. So, that’s a real focus area, especially for me to get us better at.
Bryant Bilongo showed his versatility starting up front today. What was your thinking behind that pick?
“He’s an outlet, he’s a threat, he’ll run forward, and he’s a physical presence. We were expecting to come up against a strong team tonight, which it was, and he did his job early on and created a moment where it let us settle into the game.
“He was a threat, but we were missing key players, and we’re having to look after a lot with making slight changes and certain players only playing so many minutes. It’s just about finding a way, and the lads found a way tonight, and like you say, when we’re in the difficult spell that we are, especially in the league, a win is a win, and we take that.
Three straight starts for Bilongo after being in and out of the team at the start of the season. Does that show that you really need everyone in the squad?
“Absolutely, yeah. I think that’s been clear from day one that everybody who’s in the building come the close of that transfer window is here and is going to be needed and needs to be ready. A lot of them have got valuable minutes tonight, so again that’s another positive for them.
“We want them to be confident. Obviously, we’re coming into the dressing room, then there’s a lot of downed faces and a lot of frustration. Enjoy winning a football match. I think it's important; they’re very difficult to do in any circumstance. So, we’ll take some of the positives, we won’t over-analyse it, but we will understand as a group that the final third is an area now that we need to really dial in on.
“I think, especially over the last three games, our build has been a little bit different; it’s been a bit more detailed and a bit more structured in terms of playing out, as we haven’t had a physical presence to go direct into, and that’s enabling us now to get into better areas on the pitch higher up. Can we now sustain it, and can we be more productive when we get there?"
In the final ten minutes, how important was it to keep pushing on, knowing that if you can get a goal, it’s a home draw for the knockout stage?
“Of course, that was the plan from the start of the competition. We want to do well in it. That was the focus going into it: win the game and get the home tie, and then see who we get on Thursday and then go from there.
“I’m pleased for the lads because they looked a bit down and a bit frustrated, but I think just reminding them that winning games is difficult in any circumstance at any level. I thought the support was fantastic as well. They really got behind the lads the whole way through, so that was really good.”
The team must take confidence from beating a team in the league above that played in the Sky Bet Championship last season...
“There are a lot of good footballers out there. You can see the names on the team sheet, and there are some top, top players out there. They went strong with it because they needed the result. They are in a little bit of a position, probably a little bit similar to us in terms of things not quite going for them.
“I am sure they are looking at this game thinking a red card and a goalkeeping mistake has cost them, but it is nice to be on the other side of that for this evening, and we are pleased because you can’t take winning games for granted.”
