THE MATCH
The opening two league games were poor, in terms of both performances and results, but this game was even worse.
Rovers were left chasing shadows for much of the evening and were booed off the pitch both at half time and at the full time whistle.
Darrell Clarke kept his players on the pitch afterwards, in a huddle. He explained to the press afterwards that he simply told them that supporters needed to improve to keep the fans onside…or words to that effect!
A frantic opening to the match saw Cambridge create a number of chances; Liam Bennett, Pelly Ruddock and James Gibbons all fired efforts over the Rovers crossbar while Luke Thomas headed over at the other end and Jack Sparkes hit a shot over at the end of a flowing Rovers move.
The opening goal arrived, not surprisingly, from Cambridge when Sullay Kaikai found Louie Appere on the edge of the area and he fired past Luke Southwood.
It was a distinctly below par performance from Clarke’s side in the opening 45 minutes and they were fortunate to be only one goal behind at the break.
The Head Coach made two changes at the start of the second half, replacing skipper Alfie Kilgour with Taylor Moore and Jack Sparkes with Bryant Bilongo and, for the first 15 minutes at least, there was a noticeable improvement though, sadly, little in the way of an attacking threat.
A triple substitution by Clarke just after the hour mark saw his side play with a little more pace and aggression, though it was short lived and, with 74 minutes on the clock, the visitors put the game to bed when former Rovers defender James Gibbons, skipper for the night, crossed from the right where another former Rovers player, striker Ryan Loft, headed home. It would have to be Loft who put the final nail in the coffin…couldn’t hit a barn door when he was with Rovers and here he was scoring against us!
There was no response from Rovers and Cambridge easily managed to defend their lead as their hosts, seemingly a side lacking any confidence whatsoever, simply could not muster one.
With games coming thick and fast, this squad needs help in the shape of new faces, though whether the Head Coach will be able to bring in the four new faces he says he wants remains to be seen.
WHAT THEY SAID
‘It was a painful watch. There is no hiding from that fact. We were a million miles away from where we needed to be. I think there are a lot of circumstances in and around that as well, but it was a painful night. It was painful watching that, to be honest with you, but it’s where we’re at, I’m afraid.
‘I still see players a little bit scarred. I still see players trying to find their feet a little bitand get the rhythm. But like I said to the players after the game on the pitch, you’ve got to stomach this up because those performances won’t be accepted by me or the supporters. So, you’ve got to dig deep and understand that next time you come out, be miles better.”
‘I think the connection between the players and the fans is nowhere near where we need it to be. We can see that. I understand that from the disappointment of last season, we haven’t got off to a good start this season. I am a calculated guy. Every minute of my day, I’m thinking about what needs to be said, what needs to be done and how we need to work. Rovers Head Coach Darrell Clarke
‘It was another disappointing night. Obviously, we have not started the season how we wanted to. I think we have all been a disgrace, but we are all hurting in there, and we know what we’ve got to do to get on track.
‘Of course. Us as lads have to take responsibility first, and we did that at half-time. We came out a little bit better in the second half, probably in the first 15 minutes and didn’t score and then went a little bit. It’s such a sloppy second goal. Obviously, I’ve got a little bit to play in that as well, but we’ve got to be better all over the pitch if we want to make our mark on this league, and we’ve got to do it quickly. We are all hurting in there, and we know what we’ve got to do to get on track.
‘The fans are not with us at the moment, and rightly so. We know we’ve got to get them back on our side from what happened last season, but it’s hard to play in when it’s like this. I know personally that it’s one of the best when you get that first win and start to get momentum, it’s one of the best places to be.’ Rovers midfielder Luke Thomas
‘Well done to the players that came into the team tonight. It was a strong performance. I will be disappointed if we don’t back that up on Saturday. We will be right at it
‘I am pleased for the fans who travelled and it was important that we put on a show. We played with more control and game management than we did last Saturday. All credit to the players for their learning ability during the past 48 hours, and their desire to want to do well. I thought they took their opportunity.
‘I was really pleased with the fluidity that we showed, the fact also that Bristol Rovers changed shape three times in the game and we were able to adapt’. Cambridge Head Coach Neil Harris
