In the wake of Rovers’ hard fought comeback victory against Bristol Rovers, Tony Mowbray reflected on the result and the controversial calls from the game with BBC Radio Lancashire, in addition to discussing his thoughts on the next opposition, Blackpool.
“It looked as if it was going to be a comfortable day for us after 20 minutes as we retained a lot of the possession and they couldn’t get out of their half. They were a good threat on the counter attack however and they had some good speed in which to breakaway with, but I think we got a bit to overconfident with our play. The second period of the first-half was a bit difficult for us, especially with their disallowed goal, which must have frustrated them. I think we needed to stretch the game because their tactics in the first-half were good as it gave them opportunities on the break in which they could exploit us, which ultimately allowed them to grow in confidence, which left us a little bit exposed.
“I think we reacted really well after conceding, as the substitutes came on and had a huge impact. Danny Graham showed what he was all about, his experience and his physicality shone. Dominic Samuel was also a menace and ultimately did what he’s been brought here to do which is to work hard and score goals. I’d like to give Bristol Rovers a lot of credit because they came with a good game plan and pushed us to the limit, yet on days like today, we have to guard against the counter attack, but still need to find a way to score a goal.
“Ultimately, we need to find consistent ways of winning, but despite the fact they’ve lost 5 on the bounce, they’re a decent side and I’m surprised about them being so low down the table (18th) and yet it’s all about who you’re playing. They can’t play like that at home as they’ll find themselves sitting in against an opposition who’s also sitting back and it wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve come up against teams who have tried to do the same thing they’ve done to us today.”
The manager was asked whether he should take any credit for the comeback as a result of him reacting with a double change after Rovers went a goal behind.
“No, we’ve got a squad full of people wanting to play and I’ve told the players that they’re all going to contribute between now and the end of the season. They have to be ready, they have to be fit, which is why we have the players who didn’t play, training after the match and in on Sundays, so that when we need them in midweek, there would be no excuses of them not playing for 3 or 4 weeks.
“The penalties that weren’t given don’t affect me; the referees are honest people who are trying to do their job to the best of their ability, sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t. We’ve had enough with the officials today with the disallowed goal that looked like a goal, so I can’t complain.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got the three points and have extended our unbeaten run, so now all the focus is on the next three points. We go to Blackpool on Tuesday, another really tough game and off the back of three games this week, we just need to keep going and utilise the squad as we see fit.
“Bradley’s (Dack) fine, I took him off due to a tactical change as we didn’t need a number 10 because we went more direct. He’s has had a fantastic couple of weeks to be honest, he’s scored a couple of goals and got some assists, he’s very strong and is back to being the player that I know he can be.
“I’ve been watching Blackpool this week, they’ve got some threats and some speed at the top end of the pitch, the wide player on loan from Birmingham (Viv Solomon-Otabor) and (Kyle) Vassell up front are threats, so we’re going to be at our best to nullify them. They’re a good side who have had some trouble off the field in recent years. We just have to go there and be as positive as we can in order to try and come away with the three points.”
