Bryant Bilongo stated Bristol Rovers can take plenty of positives from their 1-0 loss to Reading on Saturday.
The Gas went down to ten men after Shaq Forde was shown a red card in the second half and went behind quickly after, with Sam Smith poking a low finish past Josh Griffiths, but they were the better team after the goal and created plenty of chances to level.
Rovers are in 16th position in Sky Bet League One and will next play in the third tier on Saturday 9 November. On Tuesday, they will face Exeter City in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy before hosting Weston-super-Mare in the first round of the FA Cup.
Bilongo suggested he had different feelings after the defeat but stated there were signs of improvement.
“It’s mixed emotions, really, because we feel it’s the best it’s been in a while, especially away from home,” he said. “We haven’t been the best away from home this season.
“But the feel of it, especially at the end of the game with the fans backing us, believing in ourselves a bit more, pushing to get the win. We did lose the game and we are gutted, but we just want to carry that momentum.”
The Gas were reduced to ten men when Forde was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, but Rovers displayed great character to stay in the contest and give Reading plenty of problems.
Bilongo stated that his side played freely after the red card and showed what they could do.
“It was a big turning point in the game, and it gelled us together,” said the defender. “It gave us the feeling that we had nothing to lose, so everyone let go of everything, and we played freely. Once we felt we could take the game to them, even with a man down, we just went for it and started playing our football.
“Clinton had two great efforts, and their goalkeeper saved both of them, great saves. The goalkeeper got one off the line. I had a free header at the end that I should have done better with. It was chaos, but sometimes that’s what you need in these games.”
Rovers might have lost at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, but the 1,608 travelling Gasheads never stopped pushing on their team and showed plenty of support at full-time.
Bilongo insisted that the Club is together, and the team felt the encouragement from the fans.
“It’s the best it’s been recently in terms of togetherness in the Club,” said Bilongo. “It made us feel like we wanted to push more. The fans pushed us on, and I’m glad they appreciated our efforts, even though we lost the game.
“We know that’s how we need to carry on. We know we can take the game to other teams and can play. We know we can be together as a team and hunt teams down. It’s what we need to be consistent with, and I think that’s the main thing with this group.
"If we can keep consistency, we can go on to have a brilliant season.”
