Bristol Rovers are back at The Memorial Stadium this weekend when they welcome Accrington Stanley, with Kane Thompson-Sommers wanting to show the Gasheads what his side is capable of.
The Gas have been in strong form at home, winning five of their previous six matches at a pivotal point of the season. Rovers started their run with a comprehensive 3-0 triumph over Newport County before beating promotion hopefuls Walsall, Grimsby Town and Crewe Alexandra.
Rovers' most recent victory at The Mem was during midweek, with the Gas battling right until the end, where Tommy Leigh thumped a first-time strike into the bottom corner with 12 minutes left to play to seal all three points.
The home form has been the foundation of Rovers' recent success, with wins away at Barrow and Gillingham pushing the Pirates away from the bottom two. Thompson-Sommers explained the reason for Rovers' wins at home, with the Gasheads getting behind the team at every opportunity.
"A lot of it is the new group and the new coaching staff coming together, and the help of the fans at The Mem," he said. "I think when we’ve played there, we’ve brought a passion because we know that’s what the fans need and can get behind.
"In all the games that I’ve been there, the fans have thoroughly got behind us. So, we know that even if we go down or we’re not playing as well at half-time, there is still a lot of time and with our 12th man, the fans, we’re capable of a lot at home and we want to show that again on Saturday."
Thompson-Sommers signed for the Gas on loan from fellow Sky Bet League Two side Milton Keynes Dons in the January transfer window and has played 11 times in the blue-and-white quarters. The midfielder took some time to adjust to life at Rovers, but is growing in confidence with every game, with his fantastic run and finish away to Swindon Town helping him settle.
"I’ve settled in quite well and got used to the Club, the manager and his way of working, the staff and all of the players," said the midfielder. "Since I’ve been here, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Obviously, the results and stuff have been picking up as well, so that’s made it even better and easier for me to settle in. It's been good.
"It can take a few weeks to settle in, just to get used to things. Everything is slightly different from how you’re used to it, but at the end of the day, it’s still football. So, when you’re on the pitch, there’s not really an excuse.
"I would say that [the Swindon game] is probably the moment for me where it all clicked a little bit. I think I’ve played well in other games and have probably played better in other games than Swindon, but I scored a goal in that one, so everyone notices it a bit more."
Thompson-Sommers was one of four changes that switched the momentum of the game in the Gas' victory over Gillingham last weekend. The Pirates were one goal behind away to the Gills at half-time before Steve Evans made a quadruple substitution at the break, with Alfie Kilgour scoring seconds after the restart before Ellis Harrison netted the winner.
Rovers have used the bench to their advantage in their last few games, with Thompson-Sommers pleased with the impact of the substitutes in recent weeks.
"That says a lot about the squad as a whole, really," he said. "Everyone knows that there is an 11 that’s picked, but they always make it very clear that the bench is going to be needed. We know what the gaffer is like; if he doesn’t think it’s going right, then you need to be ready to play, you need to be ready to make an impact.
"In the last three games, especially against Gillingham, we’ve seen that impact from the bench straight away, and it’s so important that you can rely on the bench. The games are not won in one half; the second half is probably more important than the first, so it’s a credit to everyone who came off the bench to be ready to play and make the impact they did to help us secure the three points.
“We’ve got really good players here and a lot of talent. We just needed steering in the right direction and maybe a couple of results where you get a bit of luck, as sometimes that can bring confidence, and you take that into the following game.
"But you can see, especially with our home form, how much we’ve grown as a team and just getting to know each other, because there were a lot of new names after the January transfer window. So, I think it’s gelled and come together. I think we deserved the win, and I think we could have picked up more points than we have. I wouldn’t say that it has surprised me.
Rovers are 13 points clear of the drop zone under Evans, winning five of their last seven in the fourth tier. The 63-year-old brought Thompson-Sommers to the Club, with the MK Dons loanee suggesting the Head Coach has brought everyone together.
“He’s been very influential," he said. "He’s got us all going and going in the same direction, and when you’re in a tough spell, that’s probably the most difficult thing. Maybe it’s not as much about tactics as a group; it’s about coming together.
"Testament to the manager, he’s got that out of the team. You can see how much it means to everyone to win, and that’s what’s got us to where we are now. We just want to keep going because we want to finish as high as possible."
