Paul Raynor was left disappointed after Bristol Rovers' 4-1 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in the Jersey Mike's Trophy.
The Chairboys got off to a bright start, scoring within four minutes through Malik Mothersille, who beat Charlie Binns with a low effort. It set the tone for the first half, with the hosts getting the better of a Rovers side that made nine changes after losing to Crewe Alexandra on the weekend.
Emre Tezgel and Cauley Woodrow scored from close range to give Wycombe a three-goal lead at half-time before Ellis Harrison got one back for the Pirates. Rovers gained confidence and looked to build their way back into the contest before Tezgel netted in the final few minutes to confirm the Chairboys' victory.
Speaking to the media after the game, Raynor reflected on the performances and team alterations, with focus now on the Sky Bet League Two fixture against Barnet this Saturday.
FULL-TIME REFLECTIONS
"It was a disappointing first half, but a much better second half. It was a disappointing result and obviously not the result we wanted. There were also some pluses in terms of the game time getting ready for Saturday, which you can see by the structure of the team and the way the team shaped up; that was always going to be the priority: making sure we're right for Barnet on the weekend."
"We wanted to get a result today. In the first half, we didn't really look good enough and weren't good enough with and without the ball. We made some changes at half-time and got a little more of what we wanted out of it."
CHANGES AT HALF-TIME
"We tried to cobble a team together tonight to give us a little bit of everything, give people game time and make sure everyone was ready for the weekend. We have done that. The only disappointment was that the performance in the first half left a lot to be desired."
ARVIN APPIAH
"Appiah needed a game and needed the minutes. He played a couple of PFA games earlier in the pre-season, but he needed that runout tonight. We got minutes in him.
"I think from the flashes you saw, you can see he's a technically very gifted footballer, but it was very tough for him out there because we didn't have a lot of the ball in the first half and in the second half, he had 15 or 20 minutes there and showed some nice touches. But there is a lot more to come from him."
ALFIE KILGOUR TAKEN OFF
"He opened up his knee when we conceded the second goal. He slid in, got it caught in the grass and just tweaked his knee a little bit. We need to make sure Alfie's okay, but we couldn't take any chances with that one. He was still feeling it, so we had to make another change and put Keenan back there.
"As you can see, Balmer wasn't here tonight, Kelly wasn't here tonight, James wasn't here tonight. That's an eye on Saturday, as you can see. It was a bit of a makeshift back four, in terms of having to move Keenan back there and play Purrington at centre-back. You can see the priority was Saturday, but you still want to win a football game."
FOCUS ON BARNET
"It's a massive game. They are a good side; they've got a couple of games in hand, and they are still second. They are a good side and hard-working. Dean Brennan has done an incredible job there. When we came through the door at Bristol Rovers in December, they were one of our first games, and they were convincing winners at The Mem.
"They are a good side, hard-working, and have got loads of pace and power in their team. No superstars, but a good team, and that's the key word. They are a proper good team; they work incredibly hard, and they've got quality as well. So, it's going to be a hell of a game."
