Steve Evans is expecting his Bristol Rovers players to be fresh and ready when they travel to Sky Bet League Two leaders Bromley on Saturday.
The Pirates returned home from their long trip to Barrow in the early hours of Wednesday, but came home happy after an important 2-0 victory over the Bluebirds. Tommy Leigh broke the deadlock on a wet and windy evening, netting his third goal in two games with a clever finish before Fabrizio Cavegn doubled the Gas' advantage after the break.
Nevertheless, the Ravens will be a completely different challenge. Top of the table on 70 points, Bromley are unbeaten at the CopperJax Community Stadium. However, the Gas know how to win there after an Emirates FA Cup victory earlier this season, with Evans hoping they can do the same on the weekend.
Speaking to the media before the contest, Evans reflected on the win over Barrow on Tuesday night before discussing why Bromley have been so impressive this season.
TUESDAY NIGHT
“Of course, a positive result helps. I think the journey home seems quicker than it would normally feel. First and foremost, thank you to everyone, particularly those who went to Barrow, for your incredible support. To see 300 supporters there was just magic for us, and the support was great all evening.
“We’ve given the players ample opportunity now to rest and be fresh and get ready to face the league leaders. I think, arguably, you look at some parts of that game, and we’re so far in control, that it’s staggering to think how near we are to them in the table. The difference was black and white, really.
“However, you’re always mindful of the opponents, and we have to measure ourselves against the best in the league, and not perhaps the teams at the bottom end. Although we are one of them, it was certainly a performance that we can be really pleased about.”
BROMLEY PREVIEW
“No, it’s simple [to make changes]. Well, it’s simple in a sense. It’s hard to make decisions because you’re affecting players and playing games. But we have to make decisions to put our team on the pitch, which we think will compete against the Bromley team.
“So, we have to have a good look at Bromley, which I have been doing for two days, and we’ll pick a team. So, if changes are necessary, then we’ll make them.
“They’ve got manager of the year for me, in the whole of the EFL. I’m not close to Andy, this isn’t a line or two, this is somebody who has done an outstanding job. They’ve got the recruitment right, haven't they? We have to remind ourselves every day that we are in this relegation fight and we’ll take that fight to Bromley.”
SHAQ FORDE AND RILEY HARBOTTLE
“They’ll be on the team coach today. We purposefully left them for three or four days, here or there, in the week to do some real strong fitness work with them, because if you’re missing four or five weeks in the way we want to set up and play as a team, there are going to be levels of fitness that drop. Shaq and Riley have to work hard to break into that squad now.”
FUTURE PLANS
“If I’m here, we’ll be in the shakeup for promotion this time next year. But there’s a lot of work to be done, whether I’m here or not. That’s not me saying anything other than that I’m very honest in my views and have been since I walked in the door.
“We have to deal with what’s immediately in front of us, which is our EFL status, because I don’t need to remind the players. I have done, but I don’t need to remind them anymore that this club has just had a brilliant win against Bolton Wanderers in League One, in the nine games to secure three points. They failed.
“So, only when you’ve got an experienced head heading that operation, do you realise how hard it is to get three points at any level. So, we’re very mindful about what happened to this Football Club last year, and under Steve Evans and Paul Raynor, we don’t want it to be the same this year. We have to retain the status.
“I have a job to do at Bristol Rovers and so has Paul, and we’ve got brilliant support, with the board and Ricky and all of the staff in the Football Club.
“From the kit, to the medical, to the sports science, to the media behind us. Everyone is pulling in the same direction, and only by pulling in the same direction, Bromley tomorrow is a perfect example. Everyone in that football club pulls in the same direction, I’m told. That’s when you get success.”
THE GASHEADS
“I find myself now going to petrol stations, which I know are managed and run and controlled by Gasheads. Even this morning, I was in the petrol station, and three or four Gas fans were in there, and this guy is going to their normal work and asked one in particular what he does, and he said, 'I only make windows'. I think you go to work, you support your family, and you come and support our Football Club. He wasn’t at Barrow because of work, but he’s going to Bromley.
“That’s the type of love and affinity you have for this Football Club, and it’s a big Football Club. It’s in the wrong level, but the levels are decided by what you do on the pitch and in the last two or three years, the Gasheads have suffered, haven’t they? They’ve had more miserable Saturdays than tablets can fix their headaches.”
THE CHANGE SINCE THE LAST MEETING WITH BROMLEY
“I think we’ve obviously signed good players to add to the good players that we’ve had. We’ve moved out some players that were not my cup of tea, to be fair. It doesn’t mean they’re bad players or bad lads; the opposite of that, they’re good players and good lads, but they’re just not going to play for an Evans and Raynor team.
“We’ve given them confidence to express themselves; we’ve given them a remit. We’ll put them in boxes in certain situations, and they’ve got to deliver within the box before they can think about the other bits. I think the best example that I can give you is people like Shaq Forde, who was, I wouldn’t go as far as to say not wanted, but there was a lot of fanbase against him.
“I get asked every day, I was asked again this morning, 'when’s Shaq back, when’s Shaq back?' I did remind them how well Tommy Leigh was playing, as to whether he’d get in the team or not.”
