Steve Evans felt his Bristol Rovers team could have gotten more out of their goalless draw against Swindon Town on Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates escaped a tricky opening period, with a confident Robins team failing to convert clear chances from Matty Virtue and Aaron Drinan before the Gas had the better of the contest.
Fabrizio Cavegn had a snapshot strike saved by Connor Ripley before the Pirates controlled the second half without forcing the shot-stopper into a strong save. Nevertheless, the Gas will take the positives after ending a four-game losing streak in Sky Bet League Two before travelling to Fleetwood Town next weekend.
Speaking to BRTV after the game, Evans was pleased with the majority of Rovers' performance in a hard-fought local derby against the Robins.
REFLECTION ON THE GAME
“The performance outside the first ten or 12 minutes was very good. First ten, 12 minutes, like Salford, we didn't come out of the traps; that’s a saying that everyone uses. We just couldn't seem to get a little bit of a grip with a system that Swindon set up, with three number tens and the lone striker. We looked as if we struggled to do that a little bit until we were able to have a little break in play and be able to sort it.
“I think the remainder of the first half, we probably shaded it. We make a couple of chances ourselves; I think Fabrizio maybe could have a couple. It doesn't happen for us. I think we're going in at half-time. We tweak two or three things, and I think we're much better in the second half, by far the better side.
“You're always going to be subject to a little bit of counterattack, and they've got the boy Drinnan, who's very quick and pacey at the top end of the pitch; he'll stretch the game. We made some good half chances, but without really making the boy Ripley make a good save.
“So, hard-fought, nil-nil. The positives for me: a clean sheet. I think that was important and a point, so we lose that sequence, and now we have a run of games to go and attack, starting the next week away at Fleetwood, but we're also trying to push some square pegs into round holes at the minute with our injuries.”
FEELINGS AT FULL-TIME
“I think we could have had more out of the game for sure. I think when you have the majority of the play for 70 minutes, you say you should have, but we had 80 minutes against Barnet, didn't we? We got nothing from the game.
“What I will mention is the Gasheads were tremendous today. The conditions today were farcical. My family, my daughter and my grandchildren were due here today, but they couldn't come. They were advised by British Rail not to travel because they were coming by train.
“So that's how bad the conditions are, but these Gasheads: man, woman, boy, girl, they turned up. They were vociferous, you know, credit to our fans, we never heard the Swindon fans.
“I think we heard them once in the whole game for a derby, big travelling support from them as well, but all bar goals, all bar goals. It's a typical local derby, but we try and go away and take the positives from it.”
BOBBY KAMWA AND OTHER INJURIES
“He just felt his hamstring tighten up. Bobby's an explosive player. In terms of A-listers, we've got a horrendous situation in terms of injury: Ellis is missing, Bobby's missing, Riley's missing, Jack's missing, Tommy Leigh is suspended.
“It's a horrendous list for the squad that we've got, because arguably, if you said that’s six players, four of them probably start. But we have to just find a way to do some work on the training ground and get through and have an industrious performance like that at Fleetwood.
“I just said to the boys, I can understand if we go to Fleetwood and lose if we try like that, if we put the shift in like that, if we put the shift in as we did against Salford for 70 minutes, the other bit sticks in my throat.
“That's what makes me angry. But I just said to the boys, a positive dressing room on Monday, we'll come in, and we'll go to work, and we'll get ready for a tough, tough day on the road, but it's a game we can go and win.”
FLEETWOOD PREVIEW
"I've got a lot of respect for the gaffer up there. A lot of respect for the ownership as well. You know, I know them very well. They're really, really good people, and the gaffer’s doing a great job up there as well.
“So, we just have to focus on ourselves, focus on going away and having a Bristol Rovers industrious, proper performance. We get expectation and criticism based on us; first and foremost, we get expectation because Bristol Rovers is a big club, and secondly, Steve Evans walks in the building, so it comes expectation.
“But you have to then deliver the performances to live up to the expectation. We've had a bad month. We're here nine months. We've had one bad four-week period.
“So, people just need to settle down, and it was brilliant when I arrived at the stadium today and in the city this morning, hearing the support that I've gotten, particularly Paul's got from really great people, the Gasheads. I can only thank them for turning up today in these conditions, like I started to say, tremendous support.”
