Matt Taylor has admitted that a win over Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night would change the current feeling at Bristol Rovers after the Gas’ 3-1 defeat away at Huddersfield Town on Saturday, having previously won back-to-back league games.
Rovers went into the trip to the John Smith’s Stadium having won their previous two league encounters with a much-changed side falling to a woeful 4-0 defeat at Swindon Town in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy more recently. However, Taylor’s men were second-best by some distance for the vast majority of the contest in West Yorkshire, albeit against a side that was in the Championship last season and expected to push for automatic promotion.
Sections of the travelling Gasheads chanted for a change in the dugout during the second half with the Rovers manager still under notable pressure.
Shrewsbury are currently 21st in League One having taken eight points from 12 matches, making Tuesday night’s game very much one that the Gas should be winning and, after victories against Charlton Athletic and Burton Albion before the recent international break, a victory over Salop would make it three wins from four in the league, a run of form that has only been achieved twice previously during Taylor’s tenure.
“The irony is, if we win on Tuesday, we’ve won three out of the last four and it certainly changes the feel of what we’re feeling right now,” the Rovers manager said after the Huddersfield defeat ahead of facing Shrewsbury. “But like I say, we definitely need to show a little bit more than we are doing at the moment when things are going against us and things are difficult.
“It wasn’t too dissimilar to the Burton first half to a certain extent. Give the opposition respect, give the game respect, but keep doing what you need to do in terms of your habits, your principles, your behaviours, your characteristics. We just came off that a little bit too much from our lack in that period of time.”
It wasn’t necessarily the result itself that angered supporters but the manner of the loss as the Gas struggled to keep possession, especially in the first half, and demonstrate any sort of efficiency with the ball in Huddersfield’s half when they did win it back.
Bristol Rovers Live on Whatsapp
Join Bristol Rovers Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol Rovers stories sent straight to your phone
Bristol Rovers Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol Rovers news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.
To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.
We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.
To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
However, there is understandably a significant gulf in quality between the two sides whereas a home game against Shrewsbury is certainly one that will be filed in the ‘should-win’ column.
Naturally, that brings added pressure for a victory on Tuesday night with Taylor’s position still fragile but, away from any of the noise from supporters or elsewhere, the fact is that a win over Shrewsbury would mark three wins in four and four home wins from six which is by no means a poor run.
Additionally, the league table remains congested the best part of a quarter of the way into the season. 13 points from 11 games has Rovers 18th but they are still only five points away from the play-offs and a victory over Paul Hurst’s side would potentially propel the Gas up to 14th.
“As I said, the mad thing about football is we win on Tuesday, we’ve won three out of four and we’re probably mid table within one game away from the play-off positions,” Taylor declared.
“That’s the mad thing about this league as well and if people want to know how difficult it is, look at Huddersfield’s run before the last couple of games. I think they’d lost seven out of eight with cup and league combined which is, for a squad of players like that, unheard of. Our group are nowhere near where they are as yet, but we might be one day and that’s something to look forward to.”