Kofi Balmer was delighted his Bristol Rovers team could give the Gasheads a day to remember on the final home fixture of the 2025/26 Sky Bet League Two season.
Ellis Harrison was the headline maker, scoring an impressive hat-trick to move onto 13 goals across all competitions this term. The striker headed in at the start and the end of the first half before leaving his best strike to last, lifting a perfect effort over Joe Day from range.
Hat-trick delight was one story before Steve Evans made another, moving into the Thatchers End alongside all of the Gasheads to watch Shaq Forde convert from close range.
Talking to BRTV after the match, Balmer spoke highly of Harrison and reflected on the Gas' impressive winning run.
Kofi, we keep saying it, but it’s another special day at the Mem. How do you reflect on it all?
"Yeah, it was a good day. The result was the most important part, but I think it was a good day for everyone, the fans, the players, the staff, everyone involved. We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game.
"The first half was a little bit scrappy, but luckily, we got the early goal, which settled the nerves a bit. They had more control than us in the first half, and then the second goal came right on half-time as well. In the second half, we controlled it ourselves and got the two goals, and obviously Ellis, that’s just instinct, and that really calmed us down and then to hear the final whistle, it was a good day, so I think everyone really enjoyed it."
A hat-trick for Ellis today, what does he bring to the changing room?
"A lot of character to say the least, what a guy. I’ve been in a club with him before, and he’s always, as soon as you walk through the door, just so welcoming, and he’s always there to support you in the good times and the bad times. He’ll call you out, and he’ll give you that encouragement when you’re doing well. But for him to get the hat-trick today, it just sums him up, and he really deserved it."
He’s a perfect penalty-box striker, but that third goal shows that he can do a bit of everything.
"I think a few of the boys had actually been speaking about that. I think the goalkeepers had spoken about it just to be aware of it, and obviously, he’s pressing and he does the dirty work, and then seeing the keeper off the line, you’d be wrong not to take the chance, and thankfully it went in, and I’m so happy for him."
3-0 up and you see your manager going into the Thatchers End as well, that must’ve been a unique experience.
"We knew that was going to happen. I think he said he was going in the 80th minute, but it was the 86th, so he was a bit late. But it just shows the relationship that the staff and the players have with the fans as well; they deserve everything. You know, obviously the start of the season for them wasn’t great, but I think in the second half we’ve really shown what we can do and long may it continue."
There’s been plenty of great moments this season, but that Shaq fourth goal with the Thatchers lifting, that was something else, wasn’t it?
"Yeah, I think that was the icing on the cake for us, you know, just seeing that go in and then the gaffers in there as well. It would be rude not to celebrate with him. You know he's come in, he’s done a good job, he’s really turned things around for everyone, but seeing that fourth goal just killed the game off for us."
Eight straight wins, something no other team in the EFL can say this season, and it almost feels like you don’t want this season to end.
"You don’t want it to end because you’ve got the momentum, but I think come the summer time the work will be put in, you know what you’re going to get with the gaffer, so it’s just up to the club to hit the ground running next season."
And that lap of appreciation at the end, it felt like not a single Gashead left the stadium, they wanted to show how much the club and they are connected.
"Yeah, very connected, you know obviously they support us like the 12th man and it really helps us a lot so it’s up to us to show our appreciation because the numbers every game have been phenomenal and it obviously means a lot to a lot of the boys who know if the going gets tough that they’re there, they’ll cheer loud to gear you up for it."
And all the headlines will go to Ellis’ hat-trick and rightly so, and also Steve going into the Thatchers. But it’s another clean sheet for the defence as well.
"Obviously, for us it’s most important. I think me and Riley Harbottle in the past few games we have sort of got that connection with each other to cover and do whatever we need to do and I think we’ve really done that and even when Alfie was in I think we were solid for the most part and to get the clean sheet today, especially scoring all those goals was good for us, as I think they did put the pressure on us a little bit but we held through."
