John Eustace was left delighted after securing his first official victory as Rovers Head Coach after watching his team dismantle Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, by a 5-1 scoreline. Following the game, the boss beamed with delight as he broke down Rovers’ Easter Monday resurrection to RoversTV, following the game.
“Today’s performance was outstanding. Without the ball, we were very good, and I think we’ve continued the good work that we’ve been showing over the last couple of games. Away at Middlesbrough, before the international break, we were good and deserved to win there and on Good Friday, at home to Ipswich Town we also played some great football, especially in the second-half and that continued today. We were very clinical today, which is what we’ve been asking for. The overall display of the whole squad was very good.
“Sunderland start very strongly at home, we knew that, and we had to roll our sleeves up and make sure that we defended the box for our lives, which we did. The lads have been doing that ever since I joined the club. You can see their good work on the training field, both before and during the international break, come out in the games we’ve played. We knew we’d have time and space to play, but we also knew that we’d be a threat on the transition with space to hurt Sunderland and I’m pleased we managed to do that.
“The lads deserved full credit for the result, performance and the goals. The way they’ve worked, conducted themselves and taken every message onboard has been great and it’s been frustrating for me to not see them earn the points and goals their commitment and performances have deserved. They’ve kept believing and today, the result was spot on and a result of the hard work they’ve put in.
“We’ve got a quality group of players and it’s very important that we focus on doing the basics well, because their individual and collective quality will come out, which was there for everyone to see. I think it’s the first-time this season we’ve managed to field a front four of Tyrhys (Dolan), Sammie (Szmodics), Sam (Gallagher) and Ryan (Hedges), this season. We know that we’ve got quality in the squad. The way we defended, showed togetherness and looked after each other was tremendous. To come here and play like that, only happens through hard work on the training ground and the group are showing the work-ethic and desire to show people that we’re fully committed and are fighting to make sure we stay in this league.
“It’s really pleasing to see multiple goalscorers today. We’ve been asking for others to step up and support Sammie, so it’s great to see. I was really pleased with the group because their hard work on the finishing drills has paid off today, so credit to them and the staff who’ve worked with them.
“Sammie is a top-class finisher who always looked in control of the finishes, although the build-ups were superb. Tyrhys’ skill and through ball for the first were fantastic and then Joe (Rankin-Costello) produced another bit of skill on the byline before cutting it back for Sammie’s second. It’s not just about Sammie. He’s a top player and unbelievable finisher, but it’s about the collective squad. Today the squad was fantastic and I’m very proud of them.
“To get three points is brilliant, especially at this point in the season. We just need to keep working hard and it’s very important that we don’t get carried away with the highs or the lows, which is what I’ve said since day one. We need to keep working hard and have managed to get a really good result today, but now we need to focus on our rest and recovery and return to work on Thursday prepare to host Southampton on Saturday in what will be a really tough game.
“The support has been fantastic. That’s not just today, that’s ever since I walked through the door. The fans are unbelievable and to put on a performance like that for the 1,200 that travelled is exactly what we wanted. They’re going to play a massive part between now and the end of the season, because they’re our 12th man. Today, I heard our 1,200 fans out-singing 40,000 Sunderland fans, which was amazing. I’m very proud of the effort of the whole football club, both on the pitch and in the stands and it’s a great springboard to move forward with.
“It’s important that we keep doing the right things. There’s going to be twists and turns between now and the end of the season and it’s important that we don’t get carried away. Today’s victory was fantastic and it’s been coming based off of our good performances, but we need to take each game as they come, yet we’ll go into Saturday’s game full of confidence against Southampton.”
