Bristol Rovers' seven-goal thriller against Plymouth Argyle in the Vertu Trophy ended in defeat, but Shaq Forde is sure there are plenty of positives to take.
The Pirates were up against a Pilgrims team from Sky Bet League One, looking to continue their bright start to 2026 after beating Shrewsbury Town on New Year's Day.
Plymouth, who had won four of their last seven in the third tier, got off to a bright start and netted inside two minutes through Caleb Watts before strikes from Shaq Forde and Fabrizio Cavegn turned the score around.
Argyle hit the back of the net twice in the first five minutes of the second half to lead again before Luke Thomas responded with a fabulous finish into the corner. As the contest was heading towards penalties, Aribim Pepple scored the winner in the final moments for the visitors.
In a game that went both ways, Forde was left disappointed with the defeat but could see areas to build on.
“I feel like we had a good first half," he said. "I feel like we really took control of the game, and I feel like we came out in the second half and got caught cold again.
"We’ve just not been able to react fully to that. Obviously, we got the goal back from Luke Thomas, but we ended up losing. So, it’s not a great result at all, but I think there was a performance there to build on.
"There were definitely positives to take from the game and things we can build on. We need to start really looking at putting in a full performance, so we don’t have to keep having to score loads of goals to beat teams, especially at home. I feel like there are definitely positives to take."
After being sent off against Bromley in Sky Bet League Two, Forde has shown his quality in the last two outings. After an energetic performance against Shrewsbury, where he assisted Cavegn's second goal, the winger netted his first goal of the campaign against Plymouth.
Cavegn raced down the left and pulled a perfect cross towards Forde, who netted from close range with a first-time finish. He was delighted to get his first goal after a difficult period and highlighted his partnership with Cavegn.
"It was really good; I just want to thank God for everything he’s done for me and for getting me through these tough times," said Forde. "It was really good to score my first goal and hopefully, long may it continue.
"Fabrizio and I have a really good relationship both on and off the pitch. We both know each other and what we want to do, what we’re good at and where we’re going to be in positions.
"It’s definitely started to click up there [the final third]. It’s good to start getting amongst the goals. It's definitely feeling like it is starting to click, but hopefully we don’t have to concede so many and start getting three points."
One real positive from Rovers' defeat to Plymouth was their reaction to falling behind. The Pirates twice got back from behind to change the score, once stretching ahead and the other to level before the Pilgrims showed their clinical qualities to progress in the Vertu Trophy.
Forde admitted Steve Evans and Paul Raynor have helped them with their mentality, with the only frustration being that the team could not finish the task they started after gaining the advantage.
"I think with the gaffer and Paul Raynor coming in, they’ve tried to install a mentality, even when we do concede, to not drop our heads like we have been doing in the past," said the winger. "In ourselves, we knew we could get back in the game, and we showed it; we just let it go again in the end."
