Ruel Sotiriou stated every Bristol Rovers player ‘better be ready’ for the Gas’ massive trip to Wrexham in Sky Bet League One.
The Pirates travel to the Red Dragons looking to end their six-game losing streak in the third tier and escape the relegation zone with only four fixtures left to play this term. Rovers' last defeat came against Exeter City, with Iñigo Calderón’s men conceding two first-half goals before Ruel Sotiriou's strike gave the Gas a chance after the break.
However, his goal was not enough to inspire a comeback, with Rovers now looking to return to winning ways against a Wrexham side pushing for their third successive promotion and on a six-game unbeaten run.
Sotiriou knows the Welsh outfit will be a difficult test and emphasises the importance of his side being hard to play against.
“They are second in the league, so obviously, they are a good side, but we’ve got to just go there and battle, win our duels and get a result,” he said. “We’re fighting to keep this football club in the league, and we need people on board for that. So, whether you’re starting or on the bench at Wrexham, you better be ready.
“They are good at what they do and getting deliveries into the box and getting the ball wide, but we’ve just got to be tough to beat, not nice to play against, and we’ve just got to lock it in for these next four games because we don’t want to go down.”
Rovers are without a victory since a thrilling 3-2 triumph over Bolton Wanderers at The Mem, with Connor Taylor netting a late winner to help his team claim back-to-back wins in League One and push them well clear of the relegation zone. However, after a losing run of six games, time is running out for Rovers to retain their place in the third tier.
Sotiriou has demanded a ‘reaction’ from his side and said everyone should have known the situation they were in much earlier than last weekend when Rovers fell into the relegation zone.”
“It’s been tough, especially after Saturday’s result, mentally, but we’re all focused for the game on Friday,” said the 24-year-old. “There’s got to be a reaction, to be honest with you. Obviously, we’ve dropped into the bottom four, and we need results now. It’s as simple as that.
“I wouldn’t say it’s more real. We should have known. We’ve kind of been in this situation for a long time, and I don’t know whether, after the two results against Huddersfield and Bolton at home, we thought we were safe, and then after a bad run of form, we’re deep in it.”
Rovers are winless in their last eight away fixtures in League One. The Gas last claimed a victory on their travels against Cambridge United, with Luke Thomas scoring the only goal to give Calderón his first win in charge of the Pirates.
Despite the away struggles, Rovers will be supported by a sold-out crowd in Wales. With plenty of Gasheads making the long trip, Sotiriou wants to give the Gasheads something to cheer for.
“We need to give them something,” said the attacker. “As long as we show that belief and just that grit and determination and just show how much we want to keep this football club up, then we can deliver, and we can get a result there. I’m sure of it. So, hopefully, that packed out away end making noise can spur us on to a good result.”
He later added: “It’s four massive games, and at the end of the day, we’ve got to do it. We’ve got to do it on the pitch. So, they can do as much as they can, but we’ve got to show it on the pitch, and I thought on Saturday, they were really good. We started the game fast and got them up, and just those two cheap goals that we gave away just killed us and sucked the energy out of the whole place. So, we’ve just got to give our all.”
