Inigo Calderon has confessed that Bristol Rovers’ home game against fellow League One relegation battlers Peterborough United on Sunday “is not a final” but stressed that it is still an important fixture.
The two sides are separated by one place and two points going into Sunday’s clash at the Mem which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Following back-to-back away defeats in the last week at Wigan Athletic and Charlton Athletic, Rovers’ advantage over the relegation zone has been slashed to just four points while Posh’s stands at six having played one game extra.
Neither side will end the weekend in the bottom four but one or the other could certainly be dragged closer to it come 5pm on Sunday evening, making it arguably the Gas’ most important game of the season so far.
On Sunday’s game, Calderon declared: “It is [important] and obviously I know that they are close to us. I know they are in there. In Spanish we say seven points, not even six. It’s important for us. It’s a massive game. It’s not a final because I say after the game that, if we win, we are going to still be there. If we lose, we are still going to have a chance so it’s not a final.
“But again, [it] doesn’t change the approach to the game. It’s going to be the same one. We have to try to win every single game, especially, obviously, you don’t want to lose against this team when you’re fighting. But for me, it doesn’t change the mentality.
“The way we have to approach the game is try to do everything possible to win and if you change the mentality because of the opposition, then you have a problem.”
The Spaniard has remained realistic on Rovers’ situation throughout his brief spell in BS7 so far, which has now surpassed one month. Consecutive league victories over Cambridge United and Barnsley earlier this month certainly lifted spirits. However, the mood was dampened by two underwhelming displays and results in response, admittedly away from home.
The Gas now face a crunch period of games over the next four-and-a-half weeks with their next three matches all on home turf, two of which against relegation rivals in Peterborough and a seemingly resurgent Burton Albion either side of play-off chasing Stockport County.
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Following on from that trio of matches, Rovers will also have trips to Northampton Town and Shrewsbury Town in their schedule before March 5, including a game away at promotion chasers Wycombe Wanderers and another home clash against Rotherham United.
However, not only is Calderon one who doesn’t look too far beyond the next game, the Gas head coach admitted that he also doesn’t look at the league table.
“If you start to ask me [about the table], I would look like a bad manager because I don’t know,” the Spaniard smiled. “I don’t know how the table [looks]. I know where we are more or less but don’t ask me about how many points we have or who is [to] play against, because I don’t waste time in that. Probably maybe the last two games of the season if you are still there then you have to think about these things.
“For me at the moment, it doesn’t matter because I approach the game the same way if we play against the top four [or] the bottom four. [It] doesn’t change anything at all in my week, anything at all in the way we want to play. So I don’t waste time with that. We have enough things to worry about.”