Connor Taylor has declared that he was “delighted” to score Bristol Rovers’ winning goal in Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over Bolton Wanderers but confessed that he needs to add more goals to his game.
The 23-year-old centre-back rose highest to head the ball into the Bolton net after Isaac Hutchinson’s free-kick was poorly dealt with, sending the Mem into raptures.
Goals have been rare for Taylor since he returned to the Gas as a permanent player in summer 2023, having been part of the League Two promotion winning side in the 2021/22 campaign as a loanee.
After goals earlier in the season against Exeter City in the EFL Trophy and Weston-super-Mare in the FA Cup, this was the defender’s first league effort since returning to the club nearly two years ago, a moment the 23-year-old admitted he has been desperate for.
“I’ve said numerous times that I need to add more goals to my game,” Taylor confessed post-match. “I think that’s my first league goal since the Scunthorpe game a few years ago.
“I’ve not scored in front of the Thatcher’s End before. That was a brilliant moment.
“I need to add more goals to my game. I know that, and yeah, hopefully many more.”
Two goals from Chris Martin either side of half-time along with efforts from Aaron Morley and John McAtee had already made Rovers’ clash with Bolton an extremely entertaining match for the neutral, with the second half particularly gripping.
After taking the lead from the penalty spot early in the first half, the Gas struggled for control as their visitors showed why they have been League One’s form team of late as they push for a place in the play-offs.
However, Rovers came out of the tunnel far more aggressive in the second half, creating a number of good chances before Martin restored their lead.
Even with just minutes remaining at 2-2, it felt like there was enough time for a winner with Taylor ending up being the hero after 88 minutes on the clock.
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The victory completed a quite remarkable maximum at home over the course of four days with Rovers also beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 last Saturday. They now find themselves with breathing space in the relegation dogfight after going nine points clear of the bottom four with 10 games to go.
“Delighted, over the moon,” Taylor smiled. “I think we fully deserved it, especially in that second half. We put them under all sorts of pressure and could have scored a couple more.
“We’re just buzzing in there. We would have been really disappointed to draw the game, I think the way the second half went.
“We’re delighted and to take six points from the last two home games is brilliant and it makes us a bit more comfortable now. Plenty of work to do, plenty more points available and yeah, just buzzing.
“It puts us in a better position. If only we’d been slightly better away from home, we’d have been in a different situation. But yeah, that’s happened and we’ve got to move on. What’s happened away from home has happened and the important thing is our home form’s been excellent and that’s kept us in the position we’re in and we want to continue that.”