Clinton Mola believes Bristol Rovers’ point away at Rotherham United in Sky Bet League One will be valuable.
The Millers were looking to get their first win on the board after losing 1-0 to Exeter City on the opening day of the season but were unable to break the deadlock as the Gas stayed strong.
The draw for the Pirates means they have collected four points from their first two matches after a 1-0 win over Northampton Town at The Memorial Stadium.
Mola was satisfied with the point and stated that any disappointment proves they are going in the right direction as a group.
“It’s an important point for us,” he said. “I think the first fifteen minutes we were good. We started with real momentum, and we kind of slipped away.
“I think we defended well collectively and came out with a point, but the disappointment in the end shows where we want to be and where we want to aim for as well.
“At the end of the day, it’s a big point, it’s a long season, so these points all add up.”
Mola was one of fourteen summer signings for Rovers, with Matt Taylor especially targeting the defence in the transfer window.
New goalkeeper Josh Griffiths and defenders Bryant Bilongo and Taylor Moore have started both league games alongside Mola, who switched from Reading to play a role in the new-look team.
“Our defensive shape, I think we’re much better,” said Mola. “I feel like we all feel confident together, and we all want to stop the ball from going into the back of the net.”
“That’s the main thing as a defender myself, I think that’s the priority, if that doesn't happen then, of course, I’m fuming at myself. But we'vel all done our part from top to bottom, defensively we dealt with a lot of set plays, a lot of direct play.”
Rotherham are tipped to gain promotion under experienced manager Steve Evans, who successfully guided the Millers to back-to-back promotions from Sky Bet League Two to the Championship before keeping them up between 2012 and 2015.
His direct style has been at the heart of his success, with Mola insisting his side dealt with the danger well.
“We were analysing them and knew what we were going to come up against in the end,” said Mola. “Sometimes you can’t stop it, and they did go direct.”
“I felt like we dealt with it well as much as we could, and of course, we had to have a bit of luck at times. But generally, our intent and our efforts were good, and that’s why we came away with a clean sheet.”
