Bryant Bilongo was pleased with Bristol Rovers’ ability to create chances in their 0-0 draw with Crawley Town and insisted they would have gone on to win if they scored the opening goal.
The Gas dominated the early exchanges and thumped the bar twice in quick succession, with Bilongo creating their best opportunity of the first half. His delightful cross found Luke McCormick, but his looping header was tipped onto the bar by Connal Trueman.
Isaac Hutchinson also slammed the woodwork before seeing a one-on-one effort saved by the goalkeeper, with Rovers unable to turn their opportunities into goals.
Bilongo took the positives from the draw and stated a goal would have helped the Pirates to a comfortable victory.
“It’s a tough game to describe,” said the defender. “I thought in the first half, we had a lot of chances, and their goalkeeper kept them in it really well. It was a game where we needed a goal to get the momentum going and then go on to win by three or four.
“In the second half, we lost a bit of control over it, but we did well to keep a clean sheet.
“The bright side of it was that we were creating chances. It's what we aim to do every game. Get the ball wide, get crosses in and link together.
"That’s a positive, but we’ve got to get the ball in the back of the net. If we score in the first half, we do go on to do brilliant things.”
Bilongo has played 13 of Rovers’ 15 games in the third tier, but the game against the Red Devils was his first start since the 3-1 loss to Huddersfield Town.
He has quickly turned into a favourite amongst Gasheads and was pleased to get on the pitch from the beginning.
“It was amazing to start,” he said. “I was delighted, and I enjoyed myself in front of so many people, as I always try to do.”
The 0-0 draw against Crawley was the final of four successive matches in all competitions at The Memorial Stadium. The Gas opened the run with a 3-2 loss against Exeter City in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy but are unbeaten since then.
Matt Taylor’s men beat Weston-super-Mare in the first round of the Emirates FA Cup before collecting back-to-back draws in League One.
Bilongo has enjoyed the run of games at home and stated that it helps the players on the pitch.
“I’ve enjoyed playing in front of our own fans every week,” said Bilongo. “It gives us the push we need, and it’s comfortable playing on our own pitch. We know how everything works, so it’s good.”
