THE GAME
Rovers slipped to a seventh consecutive league defeat, beaten by a second half Cheltenham Town goal at Whaddon Road, or the EV Charger Points Stadium as its now known.
Darrell Clarke was able to welcome back Luke Southwood from international duty and he was facing his former club. Jack Sparkes and Joel Cotterill also returned to the starting lineup, in place of Bryant Bilongo and Shaq Forde respectively.
Left out of the squad altogether were Ruel Sotiriou and Forde, their absence later explained, by Clarke, that it was down to their attitude in training.
Rovers began strongly and forced two early corners and Ellis Harrison tried his luck when he picked up a clearance from a free kick but volleyed his effort wide of the upright.
Fabrizio Cavegn then went close, forcing a save from former Rovers loan keeper Joe Day. However, for all of their possession, Rovers failed to really trouble Day again during the opening 45 minutes, while their hosts were also struggling to create any worthwhile efforts though former Rovers player Ryan Broom, now in his third spell with the Gloucestershire Robins, was wide with a fierce shot as the half drew to a close.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with neither side being able to create any clearcut scoring opportunities. Harrison did get on the end of a Joel Cotterill free kick, but sent the ball wide of the target, and Cotterill himself saw a shot deflected on to the post with Day well beaten.
Cheltenham, somewhat surprisingly, broke the deadlock with 70 minutes on the clock when a Jordan Thomas corner reached the back post and the unmarked Jonathon Tomkinson stroke the ball into the net while Rovers defenders looked on. It was awful defending as the goalscorer was able to escape the attentions of his marker and score with consummate ease.
There wasn’t that much of a reaction from Rovers, to be honest, though the lively Freddie Issaka, on as a substitute, saw a shot blocked as did Cotterill, while Clinton Mola lifted a shot over the bar.
These are worrying times for Clarke and the club’s supporters and the side will be looking to avoid equalling an unwanted record of eight straight defeats when they take on Notts County in their next fixture.
WHAT WAS SAID
‘Over the last few weeks, we talked about basics while doing the things that you need to do well to get points out of games. Then we don’t do our job for a set piece, and they score with their own attempt on target. So, we huffed and puffed again. In the final third, we hit the post a couple of times. They didn’t really pose any threat. We didn’t have enough quality to break them down on a more consistent basis, and then we switched off at the set piece. It’s the way it’s going at the minute, it’s a tough old slog.
‘I don’t see any happiness when we’ve lost, if I’m honest with you, because at the end of the day, if you’re not going to do the basics of the game, concede a goal from a set piece, there’s nothing positive to me about that. I’m sick of saying that, to be honest with you. But what I will do is keep fighting, always. It’s a real negative place at the minute, rightly so with the results that we’re having. I’ve got to keep a siege mentality with the players, but I’ve also got to keep smashing out that softness out of them because one soft moment costs us the points again today, so it’s not acceptable.
‘We’ve got one or two leaders in there, Lockyer obviously coming into the club. One or two experienced players. We’ve got Ellis, who knows what the club is about when things aren’t going well. I obviously do as well. But sometimes I want to see that come from within as well. Like I’ve said to the boys, I’m the most resilient guy you’ll ever meet, in my opinion. What I’ve gone through in my life and what I’ve gone through in football, I’ve always got back off the canvas at night and I continue to do that.’ Rovers Head Coach Darrell Clarke
‘It feels like we started the game well, we were well in the game, we were having chances, we were hitting the post and then just a sucker punch set piece again. In those moments, it’s just not going for us. Trying to put your finger on it is really hard at the minute because it’s not just one thing, it seems like a collective of things. It’s massively disappointing. We felt we more than deserved something out of the game, but these are the things. It’s another game.
‘In the huddle I said to the boys before, look behind you, who wants to score in front of that, because I do. They were bang with us, I couldn’t have asked for anything more from them. I think they sensed it as well because when we went behind, they started singing not nice things, which obviously is not nice to hear as a player when you’re trying to give your all for the badge.
‘We said after that, they are entitled to their own opinion, and it’s got to hurt. You can’t be happy with what they’re saying and singing, and it’s got to hurt, but there but you’ve got to use that as fuel now to put this right together because as quick as they get on our back, they’ll be quick to be with us again. I’ve been relegated with this club, and it hurt like hell, and it was a lot of that week in week out, and you have to turn it around, otherwise it can be a real tough place to be.’ Rovers skipper Tom Lockyer
‘A fantastic win, especially on the back of two defeats. There are parts of today where we sort of end up going back to square one a little bit, just before I came in. The pressure is on the players in a difficult game. Bristol Rovers have a really good squad. I don’t think I’d be unfair saying their squad is stronger than ours.
‘So to have to play against them, a local derby, a big crowd, big and noisy away following, was a really tricky game for us today. We worked really hard at keeping a clean sheet. I thought that was quite important after the last couple of weeks. But we didn’t give any sloppy moments away today. That was huge really, going into today, keeping a clean sheet. Thankfully we did that. And then to score, like we did, was a bonus.
‘We were really good today. Some of our footballing parts were really, really good and then other parts I think we can do better. But I’d still say the circumstances of coming into today’s game, it’s a really awkward one. I knew that coming into the game, but I am really pleased for everyone. It was a great crowd today, home and away to be fair. Bristol Rovers have made the atmosphere as well today, so well done to them as well. It was a typical local derby, if that’s what it is for us in terms of geography. It was an important win.’ Cheltenham Town boss Steve Cotterill
