Tom James insisted Bristol Rovers must fix their away form after the Pirates lost 3-1 to Crewe Alexandra in Sky Bet League Two.
The Gas have been phenomenal at The Memorial Stadium, claiming a club-record 11 straight home league wins, with four coming this campaign. However, Steve Evans' men have not been able to replicate their home form on the road.
Rovers have won one of their five away fixtures in the fourth tier this season, losing to York City, Grimsby Town, Gillingham and Crewe, with the only victory being a dominant 2-0 triumph over Crawley Town.
Speaking to the media after the match, James reflected on the performance, Bobby Kamwa's stunning strike and the upcoming fixtures.
REFLECTION ON THE MATCH
“It's never going to help, conceding a goal that early. I think at the moment the trend of us being away from home, not being anywhere near good enough, is something we need to fix and fix quickly. The level of performance there was nowhere near it.”
AN EARLY GOAL FROM CREWE
“It's the kind of stuff that he [Jack Lankester] does on a regular basis; it's something that we should have cut out at source. But at the moment, those things we're not doing away from home, especially, and like I said, it's something that we need to fix.”
SECOND HALF SUBSTITUTIONS
“I thought they came on, and they made a bit of a difference. I think as a team, we were probably a bit more on the front foot.
“I think it probably helped that they sat off a little bit. I mean, they obviously asked for a reaction at half-time. We gave them a little one. Still not enough, obviously, looking at the score sheet. I mean, it's just very, very disappointing.”
THE THIRD GOAL
“It's always kind of a risk when you're two-nil down, and you're chasing the game; it gets a bit stretched, and you can be left a bit isolated at the back. So, I mean, it's always a risk that's going to happen when you're in these situations. But I still think we should have probably defended it better.”
BOBBY KAMWA’S GOAL
“It's probably bittersweet for him. It's an amazing strike. Unfortunately, it's a little bit irrelevant today with the scoreline.
“It's good for him to get another one. Hopefully that can kind of spur him into a run of games where he can get some more goals and assists, starting on Tuesday night.”
UPCOMING FIXTURES
“I think a game on Tuesday is probably a good thing for us to bounce back. I know it's a cup game, but it's another opportunity for whoever's picked to show the gaffer, Rayns and Byron that they should be playing on Saturday.
“Against Barnet, that'll be another tough game, I'm sure. We've obviously got a big home record at the moment. A really good home record at the moment, and it's something we need to kind of transfer to away games.”
AWAY FORM COMPARED TO HOME FORM
“It's something that needs to be fixed, and fixed quickly. I'm sure the boys will watch the game back, and obviously, the staff will do the same. Hopefully, come Monday, we'll have some answers, and we'll definitely be working on it, working hard on the training pitch and trying to put things right.”
