Steve Evans wants Gasheads to pack The Memorial Stadium for the visit of a Fleetwood Town side that he rates highly.
The Pirates have won six of their previous seven matches at home, beating Accrington 2-0 in a comfortable victory last Saturday after goals from Riley Harbottle and Jack Sparkes.
However, the Gas will know they have a tough test ahead, with the Cod Army only losing one of their previous 11 games in the fourth tier. It is a busy Easter weekend for Rovers, who will also travel to Harrogate on Monday.
Speaking to the media before the fixture, Evans previewed the clash against Fleetwood and said that he wants Gasheads to fill The Mem for a massive match.
INJURY NEWS
“Yeah, the fitness in the squad is really good. You know, we’ve only got two players in the squad who aren’t available to us in terms of Promise Omochere and Macauley Southam-Hales, but certainly Promise will be available for the Crawley game a week on Saturday. Macca won’t be far behind him, obviously, we’re running the games down now towards the finish."
EASTER FIXTURES
“The focus is purely on Friday. I’ve always protected this Football Club by saying that we’re far from safe. We’re in this relegation battle. I think I’d go as far as saying now, if we win on Friday, we’re safe. I think it’s such a monumental game for us; we need over 10,000 supporters on Friday against a good Fleetwood side.
“They’ve lost one game in 11. I watched a full rerun of their game against Swindon at the weekend; they should have won there comfortably. So, we’re playing a side, like ourselves, in good form, getting good results. It’s going to be tough, but we know what three points will mean for this Football Club going forward.
FLEETWOOD PREVIEW
“They’re like ourselves. They’re one of the form teams in the league. You know, they were really impressive from the video I watched away at Swindon last week.
“I’ve read both managers’ comments – I think Ian Holloway accepted that it was a good point, and the manager up at Fleetwood was disappointed to leave with one because it could have comfortably been three, four or five-one.
“So, I’m just serving notice to my players and to the staff, considering I’ve watched in detail behind and to our supporters. This will be the best opposition, I believe, we’ve seen in a little while coming to the Memorial Stadium.
“But, let’s deal with them as we’ve done with the rest. Let’s concentrate and get a really passionate crowd down here on Friday. Let’s be able to celebrate the start of the Easter weekend with a celebration in front of the Gasheads, who need that. We’re trying desperately to give them that.”
HARROGATE ON MONDAY
“Let’s keep our focus on this bank holiday double in terms of games, because Harrogate in its own right will be tough, but let’s come out of Harrogate, and then we can sit properly, and we’ll have a better idea where we are.
“We’re one win away from achieving that [safety], and if we don’t do that on Friday, we’ll have to go to Harrogate with a positive mindset to achieve it. I’d love to do it in front of the home supporters.
“They’ve been absolutely magnificent towards the players, the staff and myself since I walked into the Football Club. That’s in the stadium and outside the stadium. There are people around my car for the last two or three home games waiting for me to depart an hour or two after the games. That shows you what it means to the supporters, so if it can mean that to them, it could mean that to every member of staff that works here, and every player.
"We'll be properly prepared for Harrogate. It's a different type of opposition to Fleetwood. In January, they went young and expansive with a few players in the Premier League on loan that have done really well. They have been in every game."
SPIRIT IN THE SQUAD
"The spirits have been fantastic. I think when you bring in a Smallwood and a Balmer, for example, or a Harbottle who won promotion last season with Wimbledon, when you bring those types of characters into the dressing room, they demand professionalism. They demand standards. They demand that people be on time.
"From a head coach’s point of view, you can sit back, as I’ve done for a number of clubs, and the dressing room manages the dressing room.
"Carl Piergianni, the skipper at Stevenage, managed the dressing room. Big Sol Bamba, God rest his soul, managed my dressing room at Leeds United. You need big characters who can be vocal, like Alfie Kilgour does when he is needed to, not for the sake of talking."
YUSUF AKHAMRICH
“Well, I messaged him every day when he was away. The little genius was back on the training ground this morning. I call Shaq Forde a genius, and Yusuf is of that quality and ability. But he came up, and I had a big hug with him. The players tend to call Shaq and Yusuf the sons of Steve Evans. It was brilliant to have him around; his talents are unquestionable."
