Matt Taylor was delighted with Bristol Rovers’ performance in their 3-2 win over Charlton Athletic in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas took the lead in the first half after Scott Sinclair’s superb strike and doubled their advantage through Jamie Lindsay.
James Wilson added a third to put the Pirates 3-0 ahead before Charlton scored two late consolations. However, the Gas claimed all three points to start October with a victory.
Taylor was pleased with multiple aspects of the game and believed his side deserved the victory.
I’m delighted with the performance...
"I'm delighted with the performance," he said. "Not from start to finish because we probably finished in a way which made it more nervy and anxious than it needed to be in the last five or ten minutes.
"It was a positive night, and so many good things happened on the football pitch, including the three goals. But even before that, it was our will to tackle and come out on top in a lot of the duels.
"It was a physical and fast game. They have some quality players, which we have to take into account, but I thought we deserved the victory."
That performance is what we’ve been trying to work towards...
"That performance is what we’ve been trying to work towards," said Taylor. "If we had a blueprint of a performance, it’s certainly that tonight.
"There was a simplicity to it, but the players really made it work. Goals and momentum always gives you confidence and belief. But we were able to get a lot of box entries with crosses for the first time."
Sinclair is classy...
"Sinclair is classy," said the manager. "Right foot at the weekend and left foot tonight. He’s been a shining light in what we’ve needed in the last week in terms of a senior one standing up and leading the group.
"He did that fantastically well at the weekend and yesterday. I can’t speak highly enough of Scotty. There’s a performance factor and a lesson to be learned for a lot of our young players.
"He’s not moaned when he’s not been starting, and he’s come in and performed. The way to keep your shirt and keep playing is to perform. He really cares."
We wanted to put September behind us...
"We wanted to put September behind us as it was pretty brutal," he said. "We’re really trying to have a positive October, and it needs to start well tonight.
"The way the players went about their work, I was so proud of them. We weren’t perfect in any way, but the best bit about us was the way we approached the game. It was a team the fans could enjoy watching and relate to."