There’s no underestimating the scale of the task that Inigo Calderon was handed for his first experience of senior management. The Spaniard inherited a squad that was disjointed and a situation that was getting increasingly precarious.
Fast forward one-and-a-half months and, although Bristol Rovers aren’t completely out of the woods, things are looking a whole lot brighter.
The Gas picked up their fourth win under Calderon as they beat another fellow struggler in Burton Albion 3-1 at the Mem on Saturday afternoon, extending their recent home form to 10 points from 12 games.
It wasn’t pretty at times and there were moments that emphasised that there’s still some serious work to be done. However, you would hope that Rovers have now shown that they will have enough to keep their League One status intact.
A Chris Martin header broke the deadlock early on as the hosts took the lead but they couldn’t increase their cushion and eventually paid for it as a much improved second half display from Burton led to them equalising in the 82nd minute through Fabio Tavares.
At that point, Rovers could have crumbled, but instead they tapped into their reserves and found enough energy to produce the quality needed to win the game.
A clever knock down from Martin set up Luke Thomas to slot home from close range before substitute Isaac Hutchinson netted in added time to secure the points.
Three home games in a row has restored faith amongst Gasheads after two tricky defeats on the road at Wigan Athletic and Charlton Athletic. They’re back on the road again for the next two but a strong run of results have put them in a position where not taking the majority of the available six points wouldn’t be seen as detrimental.
Who knows how long this major improvement in spirits will last? Just try to enjoy it for as long as you can.
With all of that considered, here are the stand out talking points from a different type of win for the Gas…
A different type of 3-1 victory
Inigo Calderon has taken charge of five home games as Bristol Rovers head coach and three of them have ended in 3-1 wins for the Gas. However, they’ve all been different types of wins.
Against Barnsley, it was accepted that Rovers had probably gotten away with one as the visitors peppered the Gas goal but could only beat an inspired Josh Griffiths once while they were incredibly wasteful. Meanwhile, Rovers were clinical.
Peterborough United were deemed by a pretty unanimous verdict to be the worst side to visit the Mem this season as the Gas cruised to victory and should really have come away with a clean sheet that afternoon.
Against Burton though, Rovers had to show another level to their game as they faced a setback pretty late into the game but found a way to respond and ensure that they would be the side leaving with all three points.
Although supporters would prefer for wins to be straightforward, as would Calderon who jokingly released a sigh of relief as he sat down for his post-match press conference, having variety in the way you win games isn’t a bad trait to have.
On alternative ways of winning, Calderon said to Bristol Live post-match: “I always say that they find their way somehow. Sometimes it’s about set-pieces. Sometimes it’s playing good, like the first goal. Sometimes it’s just with desire, like probably the second one. So I think it’s important that we have different ways to score goals, otherwise, we become predictable. Scoring from free-kicks, corners, I think that adds something that we probably didn’t have before.
“I think it’s important that the boys have the confidence that we can score goals because otherwise it’s going to be quite complicated.
“But it’s true that, for me, it’s even more important we are defending better. I think we’ve been trying to work on that a lot and try to concede less shots, less crosses. I don’t know how many [there] were today, but I think we are defending much better and that gives us more chances and I think finding the balance to attack better and defend better, I think that’s the key.”
Home opportunity taken
After the positive mood on the back of beating Barnsley was dampened pretty swiftly by back-to-back away defeats by a scoreline of 2-0, Bristol Rovers’ next three matches were identified as a good opportunity to get some points on the board.
Three consecutive home games, two of which against teams seen as rivals in the battle to survive relegation, would naturally have a pretty significant say on the direction of Rovers’ trajectory.
Prior to the Peterborough game, the number of fans that would have predicted that the Gas would get seven points from a possible nine was likely limited. Now, there’s a real confidence about what Inigo Calderon is trying to achieve with this group.
Away displays have been largely poor with there also an element of fortune about the 1-0 win at Cambridge United last month, Rovers’ sole away win in their last seven league trips. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how the Gas, who are now a lot more confident, stand up to the task of back-to-back away games against Wycombe Wanderers and Northampton Town next week.
Chris Martin reminds all of quality
For those who regularly attend Bristol Rovers matches home and away, the general assessment of Chris Martin’s performances will have been that the striker was doing everything in his power but score while service had been concerningly limited.
The striker hasn’t been playing badly despite the two goals to his name going into Saturday but, against Burton, he demonstrated all of his qualities and reminded any possible doubters that he’s still got it.
Lino Sousa’s cross in towards the striker is something we’ve not seen enough of as Martin scored his first goal since netting a brace against Leyton Orient on New Year’s Day.
The 36-year-old then linked up with his teammates superbly while dropping back to make the odd clearance and contribute to the defensive effort, something that he can often be seen doing.
It’s also been apparent just how clever a footballer Martin is with some of the ideas that clearly go through his head but sometimes just aren’t quite conducted in the desired manner. However, two assists late on emphasised his creative qualities but also his confidence when in his safe space of the opposition 18-yard box.
Amid limited options up front, the striker’s minutes will have to be managed. He is still undoubtedly a major asset though and, hopefully, that goal and brace of assists will trigger the scoring run everyone has been desperate for this season on the back of his 16 goals last term.
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Looking in a different direction
We, at least, are trying our very best not to get carried away. The reality is that a few defeats and results elsewhere can make the situation worrying again. However, it is also true that, points-wise, Bristol Rovers are now closer to the top half than they are the relegation zone.
On 35 points, the Gas are seven points above 21st place Crawley Town while six behind 12th place Stevenage. Additionally, there are four teams within that margin who have played one game extra.
What’s also true is that, in the last eight games, only four teams in League One have taken more points than Rovers’ 13 while just Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic have better records on home turf in their last four.
Against the seven teams currently below them in the league table, the Gas have taken 22 points from a possible 33. Even under Matt Taylor, Rovers had picked up wins over the likes of Cambridge, Burton, Shrewsbury and Northampton amongst others.
There’s always been enough evidence that the Gas should end up being, at the very least, better than four other teams. Now, there’s confidence on top of that and, really, fans have every right to be looking up the table as opposed to over their shoulder. The fact that half of the remaining fixtures are at home suggests that a strong conclusion to the campaign could be on its way.