Following Rovers’ first loss of the new League One campaign away from home at Southend, former Celtic man and club captain Charlie Mulgrew admitted he was gutted after the 2-1 loss at Roots Hall.
A stunning second half free kick goal from Scotland international and Rovers skipper Charlie Mulgrew wasn’t enough to nullify two first half strikes from Ryan Leonard and Michael Kightly which were enough to guarantee all three points for Southend United on the first day of the 2017/18 League One season.
“I’m gutted. There’s a lot of disappointment in the changing room after that.
“If we didn’t know what was coming this season, we definitely know now. We need to move on.
“Despite our goal, we never managed to kick on which was disappointing. We didn’t sustain possession or create chances. We have to move on quickly.
“We were made well aware of what was coming. It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a fight and we need to step up to it.
“The supporters were superb, they were great and to turn out in their numbers helps us and we thank them for that. We need to give them something back.”
Rovers’ chance to redeem their fans comes thick and fast on Tuesday when they face Tony Mowbray’s former club Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena in the Carabao Cup.
