There was no clean sheet for Brad Young on his Sky Bet League Two debut for Bristol Rovers, but the shot-stopper was pleased to be on the winning side as the Gas beat Newport County 3-2 in the Severnside derby.
After a cagey first half, where Young was only tested once, the Pirates gained a quick two-goal advantage after the break, with Luke Thomas scoring twice from close range to open his account for the campaign.
Ellis Harrison came off the bench and headed in Rovers' third to give Darrell Clarke's men a comfortable advantage, before strikes from Kai Whitmore and Nathaniel Opoku netted late on for the hosts. However, Newport could not stage a late comeback, with Rovers collecting a third straight win in the fourth tier.
After two very different halves of football, Young was happy his side could come away with the victory, even though he was denied his first Rovers clean sheet.
“Frantic is one way to describe it,” he said. “In the last ten minutes, we sort of shot ourselves in the foot in a way. The first goal gave them a bit of momentum, but look, it’s a 3-2 win away from home, two away wins on the bounce, so can’t complain.
“I think obviously it’s a derby game, and in the first half we didn’t get enough control of the game as we wanted. Then in the second half, we said we needed to get on the ball more, get Luke Thomas on the ball, and when we did that, we kicked on and scored three goals. Obviously disappointed not to keep the clean sheet, but a 3-2 win away in a derby — you can’t complain.”
The Pirates looked strong defensively in the last three outings before travelling to Newport, keeping three consecutive clean sheets and gaining two wins in the process. However, after only scoring twice in that time, the target was to make games more comfortable.
Despite only winning by one in the end, three second-half goals showed the Gas can be clinical in the opposition box, with Young adamant that the goals will start to flow as confidence builds.
“We work all week,” said the goalkeeper. “I know I’m the opposite end of the shooting lads, but there are some good finishers in there, and I think now the goals are starting to go in, the confidence will come. We want to go out there and put teams to bed, and I think when the goals start coming and flowing, we will gain more confidence as a team and look to kick on.”
Saturday's lunchtime kick-off was Young's chance to make an impression in Rovers' team with Luke Southwood on international duty with Northern Ireland, and the incoming goalkeeper helped his side continue their winning run.
The shot-stopper has been waiting for his chance after training hard at The Quarters alongside Southwood and enjoyed getting on the pitch for the first time in Sky Bet League Two.
“I loved it,” he said. “That’s what we want to do — we want to play games as footballers. Obviously, Luke’s away and he’s doing really well, and then there’s me putting a bit of pressure on myself to go and carry that on. I want to feel like a calming presence to the lads and not for them to think ‘oh, Brad’s behind us,’ and hopefully I’ve done that. Now we look to kick on with the league.
“We push each other so hard every day. Like I’ve said before, it’s a great group. Bits (James Bittner) pushes us, and we work hard and have a great relationship. We are very close on and off the pitch, so we’re always pushing each other and working hard and wanting to get better.”
There were fourteen new additions for the Gas in the summer window, with the defence and goalkeeper looking more different than any other area of the pitch. Young, Macauley Southam-Hales, Alfie Kilgour, Kacper Łopata and Jack Sparkes were all added in the transfer window and made up the defence on Saturday.
It takes time for players to grow partnerships, especially in the defence, but after another hard-fought victory, Young spoke about the togetherness of the new group and how it is starting to show on the pitch.
“It’s a brilliant group, and we’ve built brilliant relationships together, and I think that’s starting to come out on the pitch now,” said Young. “It’s a close-knit group and a great bunch of lads, and I think with the gaffer, the way he works us, it’s a good way to be good off the pitch and on the pitch, and I think it’s starting to show now.”
Gasheads travelled in their numbers to sell out the away end at Rodney Parade and were rewarded with a second consecutive triumph on the road. All three of the Pirates' goals came with the fans right behind the goal they were scored in, with Young watching in admiration up the other end of the pitch.
“I just said to the lads as we were seeing the goals back, and we said about the limbs — especially with me down the other end — it was limbs, and I loved it,” he smiled. “They always travel in their numbers, giving us great support home and away, and happily we got the three points and had a good weekend with the early kick-off.”
