After opening his account for 10-man Rovers with a dramatic equaliser in his side’s 2-2 draw away at Brentford, a delighted Jacob Davenport reflected on his successful cameo appearance, with the club’s media team.
“That goal was a very special moment for me. Emotions were running high at the end and I felt so relieved when I scored the goal. The game was already a tough one and things didn’t get any easier after we went down to 10 men, but we knew that if we got that one chance, we had to take it which we thankfully did. The fact that we got a point from today’s game makes my goal even more special than it normally would. We were playing well until the sending off, and playing with a man down is always going to be tough against a side like Brentford, but to get a point out of a game like this, given the circumstances we were in, is something we should be proud of.
“We showed great resilience and team spirit, today. As I said, the game was always going to be tough with 10 men and to get something out of the game shows how unbelievable our squad is. We knew that we had to stay compact at the back and not let them have any chances, which was very difficult, because a team as talented as Brentford are always going to have chances. Saying that, I don’t think they created too many clear-cut chances after we lost Darragh (Lenihan), bar the goal, but as I said, we knew that we had to try and take the few chances we’d get.
“This result is definitely a bigger achievement given who it’s against. We wanted to lay down a marker today in order to show that we have the capabilities to be competing towards the top end of the table, and obviously Brentford are going to be up there come the end of the season, so the point has turned out to be a good one, at the end of the day. When I came on, the gaffer was telling me to try and keep things tight and compact in the middle and to keep shuffling, in order to restrict them and try and not concede a third, to give us an opportunity to create the one chance we thankfully scored.
“I can’t really remember too much about the goal, if I’m honest! I just sensed an opportunity to go forward and I just remember the ball coming over my shoulder, I then took a touch to get it over the defender’s leg before I shot. I saw it hit the back of the net and the emotions were unbelievable. I felt like all my personal frustration and the team’s frustration came out in that moment. It was a proud moment for me to score my first for this club. I didn’t even know what I was doing with the celebration, to be honest, we were all just delighted! The gaffer keeps warning and encouraging me to be ready when called upon, so now when I get my chance, I’m going to do my all to take it and show him what I can do. I don’t think I can do much more than I did today, with the goal, but I’ve got to keep working and improving in order to try and break into this talented team.
“Today’s point is vital, because we have a few tough games against teams around and above us over the next week or so, in Bristol City and Norwich City, respectively. We knew this one was going to be hard today, but to come away from here with a point despite having 10 men was an impressive achievement, so we’ll regroup and turn our focus to Wednesday against Bristol City in the hope of earning three points there.”
