Steve Evans has full faith in his players ahead of Bristol Rovers' away fixture against Gillingham in Sky Bet League Two on Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates were riding high after four straight fourth-tier victories had put them top of the fourth tier before their trip to Grimsby Town on Saturday. However, the Mariners ended the winning run with a 2-0 victory at Blundell Park.
It was a tough afternoon for the Pirates, who failed to show their qualities from previous matches, with Evans knowing his team must be better across the pitch. Nevertheless, lessons have been learnt from the long trip to Lincolnshire. The Gas have now turned their attention to a Gillingham side that are building momentum.
Speaking to the media before the match, Evans reflected on the fixture against Grimsby before looking ahead to the test against the Gills, with the 63-year-old looking forward to seeing some familiar faces.
REACTION TO GRIMSBY DEFEAT
"I have got ultimate faith in this group of players, for sure. Their ears were ringing on Monday, and so they should have been, but as a group, they have taken it brilliantly. We went out, and we've trained, and we've trained really well since.
"They know that we didn't turn up on Saturday. They know that wasn't us. I have read and heard some of the rhetoric that has come out the other side after that. It's a long season.
"We had a crisis meeting on Monday, and every time we lose a game, we'll have a crisis meeting, as we did after York, because we shouldn't be losing games as we did in that manner. It's the manner in which you lose games. If we go to Grimsby and have a proper go, there's no crisis meeting, but there are crisis meetings when you lose games, and that's the way it should be. We know we fell way below the standards on and off the pitch, and we need to be better."
TEAMS TARGETING ROVERS
"We are the team that everyone wants to beat in League Two. That's just the way it is, and it wouldn't matter if Joe Brown was sitting here as the manager. That's what it is when you're Bristol Rovers. I have been a manager against Bristol Rovers, and I used to see Bristol Rovers as a target. If you beat them, it's a bullseye.
"To be fair to Grimsby, they deserved to beat us. I told a lot of players on Grimsby's side, I know really well on the pitch, but I also reminded them that it's a long season."
GILLINGHAM PREVIEW
"They have a good manager and have signed a lot of good players. That's what I do know. It's a great club. I still have personal friends from my time there. The people from Medway and the Rainham End will get applause from me, as they did the previous two times I have been there as a manager of different clubs.
"I am looking forward to going there when we travel across, nice and early to meet up with some fans that I know will be in the Rainham End. It's everything about Gillingham Football Club, and the current ownership and the manager are all good.
"Their best performance of the season, no doubt, was last week. They beat a decent Tranmere side 2-0 and could have beaten them by more. They missed a couple of chances to make it more emphatic. We think we have identified some areas that we can get at them. We have been working on that this week; we will continue to work on it, and we'll see where we go."
INJURY NEWS
"Riley Harbottle will miss the weekend. He has a small tear, so we are probably looking at three weeks. When I say a small tear, it's millimetres. So, it's three or four weeks for Riley. He's gutted, but that's where we are, and that's why we have Ciarán Kelly and Alfie Kilgour vying for a place on Saturday, maybe even both, so we'll see.
"There were reasons for the stretcher. Because it's a hamstring, you don't want any further issues, and it gave us enough time then to make a substitution. It was well managed by Gavin Crowe. He is a very experienced medical man whom we buzz every day when we see him. He is very good at what he does, and he looked after Riley.
"Keenan Gough is the obvious one. We will make a decision for Saturday, and we'll probably make that after training tomorrow. He's been on the training ground, and he'll be fit and ready to go. We'll determine that we want another few days, a week or a game on Monday or Tuesday at the training ground to make sure he's right, because he's a big, big player for us.
"You need to be careful because he's so enthusiastic to be back. The medical team said he wanted to be sprinting in week one when he shouldn't be anywhere near it. When Keenan Gough is available, and we think he is properly ready, he'll be back in for sure."
