After victories over Newport County and Chesterfield, Steve Evans is looking for another triumph in Sky Bet League Two against Chesterfield.
It was a tough clash against promotion hopefuls Walsall. However, the Gas remained resilient with a clinical effort from Tottenham Hotspur loanee Yusuf Akhamrich and a superb strike by Kofi Balmer just after the 60-minute mark, helping the hosts to all three points.
Having signed three players on transfer deadline day, Joe Quigley, Tommy Leigh and Richie Smallwood, Evans has been busy on the training pitch, and all eyes are on the Chesterfield clash.
Speaking to the media before the fixture, the Head Coach reflected on the deadline day dealings before reflecting onRovers' recent wins and the challenge of Chesterfield.
THE END OF THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW
“Well, never relieved [it is over]. We could have done with four or five more, couldn’t we? In all seriousness, we’ve had a really good window. Both ins and outs. Fantastic support from Ricky Martin and the board, particularly the chairman.
“So, we’re pleased with the business we’ve done, and you never know, with the odd free agent out there, we may not be concluded yet, but it has to be the right one."
DEADLINE DAY SIGNINGS
“Yeah, they are in the building and trained very well this morning. They are three men to be fair. You know, I was asked at a previous conference as to whether the younger players would arrive, and I said that men would arrive. Men have arrived, haven’t they? You only need to look at the response of our players when we announced those three signings. They’re delighted with who we’ve added."
JOE QUIGLEY
"Joe will also get goals here from the way we play. You have to have a style that suits Joe Quigley, the same as the style that suits Ellis Harrison, but they’re very hard to get. A good few target men who other players feed off, particularly attacking players.
“Loved to see those guys come into the building, and Joe’s been a fierce competitor. I didn’t even like him before I spoke to him a few days ago. I didn’t like him because, against my team, he was a real handful. He gave my defenders a tough afternoon, and that’s what we’re looking at for him with opponents now.
TOMMY LEIGH AND RICHARD SMALLWOOD
“Richie was tremendous for me. Of course, he scored our last penalty in our win at Wembley, so anyone who scores a goal and we win at Wembley, if you're a manager, is always thought very highly of.
"I remember Richie last season, at Bradford, team of the year. Team of the year, and we’ve got him here in the January window to help us going forward and our challenge, which is to make sure we’re in this league. So, just a super signing.
“Tommy Leigh, I tried to sign him when I was at Stevenage, and he was at Accrington. I tried to sign him a couple of times, and he chose to do an MK route and a Bradford route. Obviously, I’ve measured his progress. I’ve seen him twice live at the start of the season, when he was in the Bradford team that started with eight or nine wins. Brilliant, brilliant performances. So, we’re delighted.
“He’s come in, and he comes in with real enthusiasm; he comes in with a real bubble, and Richie Smallwood brings a different style. He brings a quietness, but, as you say, people knew Tom when he came in with our promotions and three teams of the year in the last four years.”
SQUAD DEPTH
“The bench is going to be particularly strong on Saturday. Ask anyone to look at the substitutes' bench on Saturday, and probably a couple of the lads sitting out, they will say it's very strong for League Two. That's what you need. We're not measuring ourselves against Newport or even Walsall; we're measuring ourselves against Bromley, who are the best in this league.
"That must be your benchmark going into next summer. Individual performances and who gets into the team regularly will say that they meet the benchmark to be here post the summer. First and foremost, let’s deal with being in the EFL. We can’t take that focus away, and the biggest challenge of that is Chesterfield on Saturday."
BACK-TO-BACK WINS
"The difference is that when I get fuel in my car or go to the supermarket for some shopping, I see how positive people are now. You know, from a real fear of relegation, my cautionary note to supporters is, we’re far from safe. We’re far from out of the danger zone. Until we’re mathematically a part of the EFL, we cannot take anything for granted, because I look at the statistics.
“I look back when the Gas were in League One and a great win here against Bolton Wanderers, and you think, you need four or five points to be safe for eight or nine games, and they didn't get it. It shows you how tough football can be.”
CHESTERFIELD PREVIEW
“Paul Cook is a wonderful coach; more importantly, he’s a really good guy. We’ve had battles on the sideline, but we have a great affinity before and after games.
“In fact, I was back in my apartment in Bristol, and the phone went late on Tuesday night. I didn’t realise Cook had been at our game, but he was at a game, telling me how we played and what he’s going to do on Saturday while he was driving home. It's always good to hear from a guy that I really, really respect at this level of the game. He is a top coach."
