Steve Evans believes his Bristol Rovers team need to be near their best to get anything from their trip to Crewe Alexandra on Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates broke a club record for consecutive home wins last weekend against Exeter City, with Fabrizio Cavegn's decisive strike making it 11 triumphs on the bounce for the Gas.
However, Rovers have found life harder on the road, losing to Grimsby Town and Gillingham in their previous two outings and face a Crewe team unbeaten so far this season. The Railwaymen have drawn their previous six, scoring and conceding late goals, and are ninth in the table.
Speaking to the media before the upcoming match, Evans reflected on last week's historic win over Exeter before previewing the match against Crewe, knowing his team must be better on their travels.
CELEBRATIONS IN THE THATCHERS BAR LAST SATURDAY
"It was an absolute privilege for me, the chairman, our players and staff to walk into the Thatchers Bar and be a part of what I call the true people. The real custodians of the football club are the fans, and they always will be at every football club.
"For us to go and share a historical moment with them was truly wonderful, and the reception the chairman and I got was incredible."
BREAKING A CLUB RECORD AGAINST EXETER CITY
"I think the players grasped the importance of being able to be a part of history at a huge football club, which is our club. The staff grasped it, and you can see what it meant to everyone. Our chairman in particular was so pleased and so happy, and so was his family.
"Our chairman comes across as one man, but he has got a huge family, with his sons, daughters and grandchildren behind him. They watched every interview and every minute of Bristol Rovers. They would have been so pleased for their dad, and, of course, he is a husband as well. Everyone in that family was enormously proud."
LOOKING TO IMPROVE THE AWAY FORM
"There's no getting away from the fact that we have not been anywhere near our best on the road. I think maybe a draw would have been fair at York, at a stretch. We were well beaten at Grimsby, and there's nothing in the game at Gillingham until they score a goal.
"Gareth Ainsworth rang me on the Sunday and said the same thing. There's nothing in it; they get the first goal, and the first goal, as every manager at every level knows, is quite pivotal. But we know that our performances have to be much better if we are to come back from Crewe with something on the road.
"They have a good side, they have a good young manager, and they have a good squad of players. They are capable of being up there and challenging at the end of the season. So, it will be a difficult afternoon for us.
"Just as a player, prepare properly and work hard. We know the abilities they've got, and perhaps us going into York and particular Grimsby, thinking we will just go there and roll them over, and it will be a comfortable afternoon. It was far from it. Grimsby were one of the standout teams last season, and York have just got promoted with great momentum and owners that give them every support."
REISS RUSSELL-DENNY
"I think you give Russell-Denny the ball and you're in heaven as a coach because he's fantastic on the ball. What we're working hard with Reiss is when we've not got the ball: where he goes positionally and how hard he has to work.
"That's why he's come here. We had the same issues with Yusuf Akhamrich, and he became a hero in half of Bristol. In the blue half, he became a hero. We had to work so hard with him in the early days and the later days to work hard out of possession. Working smart as well, not just hard, but we know what Reiss gives us on the ball. He's a magician."
CREWE ALEXANDRA PREVIEW
"I think they have scored late goals and conceded late goals. I think it's a bit of both. The fact is that their opponents, in the main, have been tough, but they are resolute and have got some really good players. The boy Joe White, Josh Marsh. They have got a really good squad that Lee Bell has put together, and they always seem to have their favourite moments at home.
"The better football qualities are at home. So, we know that we have to go there and be near our best to come back down the road with a point added, if not three. If we could add a point, of course, we're playing for history again a week on Saturday.
"A decent afternoon would be coming back with three points, but a solid afternoon would be saying that after losing three away games, you have to stop that. Winning is a habit; losing is a habit. Arguably, if you look at last season, we had far too many draws. If those draws had been wins, we would have been in the playoffs. We have to go there and have a really resolute performance, but I always judge it on performance when I come out. Other people will judge me on whether we win or not; I'll judge it on how my team played.
"Did we deserve to beat Exeter last week? Yes, we did. Did we deserve some of the losses on the road? They were probably harsh. Have we deserved to win every home game? Yes."
DEPTH IN THE DEFENCE AND INJURIES
"I wish we had Harbottle as well because that would give us even more options, but we haven't. We have been stricken with injuries to key players more than anyone. We missed Alfie; we're missing Jack Aitchison at the minute. We were missing Keenan Gough for a while. So, we've been without some big players, but when we've got everyone available, the squad is in really good shape.
"Jack Aitchison will be out for a few weeks. Jack has a hamstring injury. He's had a little operation on that, so we're probably not going to see Jack for six weeks or so, but it is what it is. It's one position we're blessed with. We've got the Mavrick back next week in Tommy Leigh after the weekend. We've got Shaq Forde, Russell-Denny, and Bobby Kamwa who can play there. One thing I am not short of is options in that position."
