Despite Bristol Rovers falling to a narrow defeat to Gillingham in Sky Bet League Two, it was a special match for Tom Lockyer.
The centre-back, who led the team out as captain alongside his daughter, was making his first appearance back at The Memorial Stadium since departing the Club in 2019.
It has been a long journey for the defender, who went through more than most between his two spells at the Gas. Lockyer helped Luton Town gain promotion to the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign and played 14 times in the top tier before suffering a cardiac arrest against Bournemouth.
His return to action was then delayed by ankle ligament damage before departing Luton, but Lockyer is back playing the game he loves. The 30-year-old has started three fixtures for Rovers since signing in October, but the match against Gillingham was his first at The Mem, and Lockyer was full of emotion.
"It was nice and it was lovely," he said. "It was lovely to walk out with my daughter and on the remembrance game as well, which is obviously nice. I had the family here, a lot of support and walking out with my daughter was a bit of a surreal moment for me. I was a little bit emotional with that, and it meant a lot."
Nevertheless, it was not a perfect return for Lockyer, with the Gas falling to a 1-0 defeat to the Gills at The Mem. The Pirates created plenty of chances on either side of half-time in a game that also saw Luke Southwood save his second penalty of the season. However, the fixture was decided by a stellar second-half strike from Max Clark.
Lockyer was disappointed with the defeat, but could see the positives from a strong performance.
“It’s very frustrating," said Lockyer. "It was a game that I think we dominated, and you should have heard them in the changing room after the game, it was like they won the league. So, I think that pretty much sums the game up. So, fair play to them, one-nil away from home, you’ve got to hold your hands up.
“He [Clark] has put a worldie in the top corner, fair play to him, but I think if we replay that game ten times, we probably win it eight or nine. So, it’s just one of those days. We probably have to be a little bit more clinical in the final third, have a little bit more quality, have more patterns and nous and how we are going to open them up and what chances we are going to create.
“So, there is a little bit more work to be done there when a team sits as deep as they did, especially when you don’t have your two big men to play into and play off that, so there is a little bit of work to be done there, but I’m not too down at all.”
The Pirates battled right until the end and had two opportunities in stoppage time to try and end their five-game losing run in Sky Bet League Two. Kamil Conteh's close-range header was pushed onto the bar by Jake Turner before Freddie Issaka's low hit was cleared off the line.
It was an improved performance from the Gas, who had conceded 12 goals across their previous three games in the fourth tier, with Lockyer sure the Gasheads could see that the players were putting everything into the contest.
“Nobody wants to lose games," said the defender. "I hate losing, it’s as simple as that. But if you do lose, there is a way to lose, and I think that was probably shown today, and I think the fans felt that the way we were clapped off at the end.
"Bristol Rovers fans are no mugs; they know when you’re trying to pull the wool over their eyes or when you’re actually willing to run and fight and die for the team, and I think you saw that today."
He later added, "They know when you’re putting it in and you’re fighting for each other, and I always say there is no special recipe to get fans onside. I always think if fans were in our shoes, they probably don’t have the ability that we players would have, but what they would do is give 100 per cent, they would fight for the team, they would put their body on the line, and they would die for the team. If they can see that, then they are going to get behind you.
"I know results haven’t been great, but I think they saw a performance today that showed all of that. They saw it again at Bromley, but the difference was that Bromley had a little bit of quality to go with it as well. So, it was just frustrating and one of those days, but I am not going to dwell on it."
Rovers have the chance to bounce back and make it two wins in three November fixtures when they welcome Plymouth Argyle in the Vertu Trophy.
A victory would see them finish at the top of Southern Section Group B and go into the trip to Accrington Stanley with a spring in their step.
Lockyer has played just under 350 games in the EFL and knows games come thick and fast, with teams given the opportunity to put things right as the next match is never too far away.
"That’s the good thing about football; there is always a chance to put it right, not too far in the future, and this one is Tuesday," said Lockyer. "Although it is the cup, you want to get back to winning ways and winning breeds winning.
"So, the more you can win, the more you can try to keep winning. It’s one of those competitions where there is a chance to go to Wembley, so let's give it a good go."
