Bristol Rovers got their first points on the board of the season, earning a 0-0 draw against Oldham in Sky Bet League Two, with Assistant Head Coach Jon Stead confident the side deserved the three points.
The Pirates showed some promising moments, giving the team hope to carry forward for the remainder of the season. With multiple chances coming in both halves, the most promising chances came after the break, with Alfie Kilgour seeing a header cleared off the line and Jack Sparkes thumping the bar with a free-kick in the final moments.
The point against the Latics ends Rovers' four-game losing streak in all competitions to start the season, with the dominant display sure to give the Gas confidence heading into their Sky Bet League Two clash against Cambridge United at The Mem on Saturday.
Speaking to BRTV after the fixture against Oldham, Stead reflected on the dominant performance and the eclectic atmosphere at The Mem.
So, Steady, the first points on the board this evening with a lot of positives to take from that game…
“There are positives to come from the game. That was a performance that was much closer to what we expect from the lads and what they’re capable of. I’m really disappointed for them, the three points would have been massive, and I think it’s what they would’ve deserved. It certainly gives us hope and the opportunity to build and recognise that things are going in the right direction.
“There is still time, and it’s going to take time, but there were some promising moments tonight, for sure.”
As you said, the performance probably deserved all three points. It was just the case of not being able to get the ball in the back of the net in the end…
“It was. We huffed and puffed a little bit. We had some good opportunities, and I hate that I keep saying it, but on another day, we score a couple of goals. But that’s been the story. I think the rounded performance was better tonight.
"The energy was there. The way that we moved the ball was a lot cleaner at times, and I think we managed to create an atmosphere in the stadium, which we haven’t yet this season.”
Looking at the defence, with Luke Southwood and the rest of the defence keeping the first clean sheet of the season, it was a big performance from those five and the whole team defensively…
“They are a strong, physical side, and they have some big lads at the top end of the pitch and at the back. So, we knew they would be a threat from set pieces, and we dealt with that well, and anything that came near our box, we put bodies on the line, which is what we expect, but also good to see the lads doing it.
"I think Luke and the backline can take confidence from this clean sheet and can build on it. I thought Kasper and Alfie were man mountains at the back, and they built with the attacks as well, so they started us off a lot of the time, which is stuff that we have been working on. They will be happy with that, but we are as a group because it’s going to take all of us. The lads recognise that, and they are good together."
The fixture schedule at this time of the year is always hectic, with games every three days. Is that a help or a hindrance?
"It’s madness that we can go from so many games this month, and then I think there are only four in September. It doesn’t make any sense. So, you’re trying to manage players. You’re trying to manage their bodies, but you still want to get the work into them. It’s so difficult with the quick turnaround.
"We have obviously gone to a back four and had limited time to work on it, and the lads have taken it on board a lot of stuff in the classroom, a lot of conversations, and a lot of information thrown at them. These are things that are new to a few. They are starting to pick it up, and I think we’re starting to see moments, but there is still so much more to come. We recognise that. We’re not happy with where we are, of course, we’re not, but we recognise that there is a process in place and things are starting to move in the right direction."
There was a real vibrancy at The Mem today. Is that something you want to bottle up and take towards Saturday?
"Yes, but we can only get that by creating it, and we did that tonight because of the tempo and how we were on the front foot by putting balls into the box, and we created opportunities. The crowd are with us after everything they have been through, they are with us, and you could see that at the end of the game against Chesterfield as well.
"They are there, but they need a push, and that has to come from us as a group. We did it in moments tonight, and then suddenly, the place is electric, and they are almost sucking the ball into the goal at the end, and it hits the woodwork. We just need more of it, and it needs to be consistent, and we’ll keep pushing them towards that."
