Clinton Mola was pleased with Bristol Rovers’ ‘important’ 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town at The Memorial Stadium in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas were searching for their first victory in five outings in the third tier to ease any immediate relegation worries but got off to a difficult start when Promise Omochere came off with an injury after only eight minutes.
However, Ruel Sotiriou struck the only goal soon after, rushing onto Clinton Mola’s header and looping his clever strike over Lee Nicholls. The Terriers pushed for an equaliser after the break, but the Pirates stood to the test to stretch the gap between themselves and the drop zone to six points.
Reflecting on the victory, Mola lauded the victory and the personality his side displayed to get over the line.
“Today was massive,” he stated. “It was a big win today and a really important one. To back it up with a clean sheet as well, we’ve just got to keep performing like this. I thought the desire was there from everyone, and we spoke about it during the week as well. The gaffer spoke about passion. That’s the word he used a lot, and today, we showed that and got the three points.
“I think that was important to stay tough, stay strong and most of all, to show that passion and that fight. I think today we definitely showed that, and you could see how the crowd reacted to us. They never stopped singing. They kept us going, and they helped us in the end.”
Mola signed for the Gas in the summer and was integral at the start of the campaign, starting 15 of Rovers’ first 16 games. However, he has been in and out of the team under Iñigo Calderón and did not play for six consecutive matches before starting back-to-back fixtures against Shrewsbury Town and Huddersfield.
The former Reading defender played a key role in two consecutive clean sheets and admitted it is ‘big’ to be back in the side.
“It’s big for me,” Mola confessed. “I had a little spell out of the team. I had to work hard in training and really look at myself, but at the end of the day, the objective is to help the team in any way possible. Whether that’s not on the pitch or on the pitch, for me, being back in is a big thing, and for the remaining games of the season, I just want to help the team as much as I can and back it up next Tuesday against Bolton.”
The Pirates switched to a three-centre-back formation against Shrewsbury and kept their first shutout since a 1-0 victory away to Cambridge United and backed it up with another against Huddersfield on the weekend.
Despite the upturn in results since the switch, Mola wanted the focus to be on the character of the team and believes Rovers will keep getting results in any formation if they keep it up.
“I feel like we’re more solid in that shape,” he said. “To be honest, it’s not really about the shape or anything. I think today it was just about the fight, the desire and the will to win your individual battles and stick together as a team. As long as we show that, whatever shape we play in, we’ll be good.”
The Gas host Bolton Wanderers only three days after their victory over Huddersfield on Saturday and will be looking to continue their good form at The Mem, where the Pirates have only lost once in six matches.
The Trotters moved into the playoff positions after their victory over Burton Albion, with Mola stating the focus will turn straight to Steven Schumacher’s men after celebrating the triumph over Huddersfield.
“We’ll enjoy it today because it’s always important to enjoy when you win a game of football,” said Mola. “But we’ve got to look forward to Tuesday quickly, and we’ve got to get our minds focused for that because that will be another tough challenge. So, we’ve got to be ready for that.”
