Bristol Rovers Manager Steve Evans praised his team's character after the Gas came from behind to win a thrilling Severnside derby 5-3 at The Memorial Stadium.
The Pirates were looking to secure their first victory of the Sky Bet League Two season after falling to a 3-2 defeat away to York City last week. However, they fell behind within 15 seconds after Harrison Biggins' calm finish into the bottom corner.
Nevertheless, goals from Ben Purrington, Fabrizio Cavegn and an own goal from Lee Jenkins gave the Gas a comfortable lead just before the hour mark. Boosted by a 3-0 victory over Rochdale on the opening day, the Exiles had plenty of fight, with Shaquille Gwengwe and Cole Jarvis netting either side of a curling finish from Bobby Kamwa to set up a dramatic finish.
Newport pushed for a fourth but conceded with what was basically the final kick, with Fabrizio Cavegn turning the ball into the empty net after the visitors committed everyone up for a corner.
Speaking to BRTV after the fixture, Evans was pleased with the character his side showed and highlighted individual performances, but was disappointed with aspects of the Gas' defending.
REFLECTIONS ON THE GAME
"I have many reflections and emotions over 100 minutes or whatever the referee played. First and foremost, great character from the team because we go a goal down in what, 17 or 18 seconds. It’s a clear foul on Riley Harbottle. People will see it back tonight and say, ‘Steve’s moaning about the ref.’ It’s a clear foul. He doesn’t give it, but then we have to do better afterwards. We go behind, and it takes five or ten minutes for us to settle down again. But once we settled down, Newport counter-attacked, and we had all the play. A lot of half chances, a lot of good chances. I think Fab’s got clear of their back four on three occasions and doesn’t put any in the net. Unlucky a little bit, doesn’t clear his feet and then we get the goal right on half time, which gives us momentum.
“Second half for me carried on as it did. We were having all the play, all the attacks, all the goal-mouth actions. We got ourselves comfortably in front and then on three or four occasions today, defensively we’ve been really individually poor. That’s the best way I can say it. I think in general over the course of the game, we’ve been really good defensively. But in key moments, in certain aspects of this game, it should finish 5–1, and that’s allowing for a foul on the first goal. If you don’t defend properly in your box, it’s always going to make it game on. But if you’re ever going to excite the Gasheads, have a game that wins 5–3, you’re going to send the fans home happy, but they’ll be the same as me. They’ll be concerned about some of the defending.
"It’s very difficult. You have to give credit to Hayden. It’s a different type of Newport. I think under the previous boss, they played a bit. They don’t play football around, do they? They just launch it to Big Doidge. Big Doidge goes in; he’stalented in the air and wins a lot of duels. He’s a good character as well. He gives defenders a problem. The two wing lads are quick and supportive. But I thought Tom James and Ben Purrington, who were not at their best in pre-season, have really rallied today and had big performances. Kenan Gough gets better and better. Fabrizio gets goals, which he does. And the two wing players, Bobby Kamwa and Shaq Forde, worked really hard, and of course Bobby scores a goal. We see it in training every day."
DIFFERENT FRONT THREE
"We felt we could penetrate them; we could play more. Sometimes it’s a physical battle in this league. We said they’reexpecting a physical battle. Let’s not give them one. Let’s give them a technical game, and let’s be fair. All but for poor defending, we should win this 5–1 and the performance was really good. We moved the ball around. Both wing boys gave us a proper shift.
"Even when we had to change it, Tom James was suffering from a cramp, and Tommy felt his hamstring a little bit, so we went into protection mode before fans think, well, did Steve change it quickly? I changed it because we had to, and the changes didn’t affect us because the goals are central defensively."
CRUCIAL GOAL BEFORE HALF-TIME
"We’ve led siege to the goal, all but a counter attack. We’ve led siege to the goal for 25 minutes, and there’s ricochets and blocks. On the other side of the game, you have to give credit to the Newport back bodies. They put their limbs on the line, their bodies on the line; they got blocks, they got headers in, and you think, is it going to come? But we get a little bit of fortune with Bobby, and I think it’s Bobby that comes off the crossbar.
"Ben Purrington scores the first one. Ben dives, and it’s a close-range header, but it’s a brave header because you’re expected to get headed in your face there by the defenders. He puts it in, and that allowed us to settle down at half-time. Some of the play in the second half, when we see Fabrizio, one of his goals, where TJ plays it, sets it into the middle of them, and he puts the ball in the bottom corner, it’sfantastic football."
FABRIZIO BACK TO HIS BEST
"Fabrizio never got a lot of action at the end of last season because I thought mentally and physically he was tired. But he was the only talisman this club had until mid-late December. He was the only one deserving of being in because the other performers around him were poor. When I came in at first, I thought there would be a time in two or three months where he’d go down a hole because it was new to him coming to England, coming to English football, coming to the EFL, being that talisman.
"But I said to him a week ago, you’re looking sharp now as when you first came in, which was really sharp. He’s continued that in pre-season, and he looked razor sharp today. Fab played on the shoulder. Whether he’s in a front three or a front two, it doesn’t matter; he’ll get 25 goals."
POST-MATCH CELEBRATIONS
"To take my grandson around, the last time he was out there was my first game here, so to take him out there in a derby 5–3 with all the excitement. When he ran to the pitch, he called me a pop star, not because I’m a star, I can tell you, but he said, 'pop star, you could have scored ten goals today,' and he was right."
