Connor Taylor insisted his Bristol Rovers team must find a way to win after the Gas lost 2-0 to Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Pirates slipped to 20th position after a third successive defeat in Sky Bet League One, with Lee Buchanan driving in the opener inside six minutes before Jay Stansfield got the Blues’ second from the penalty spot.
The loss followed back-to-back defeats in the third tier to Blackpool and Leyton Orient, where Rovers also found it difficult to build their way into the game and put the opposition under pressure.
Taylor was disappointed with how early Rovers conceded and stated the slow start made it tough against one of the favourites for promotion.
“I think when you come to a place like this, you need to keep them out,” said the defender. “You don’t want to concede that early. It’s a poor header from us as we’ve headed it straight to the edge of the box.
“We’ve spoken about them being a threat from the edge of the box. We didn’t get out to the ball. It’s a good strike from the lad, to be fair. Then, you face an uphill task. We’re fully aware we’re lacking a bit in the final third at the minute, but I think when you go behind, you always make it tough for yourself.”
Rover have won one of their last seven matches in League One, beating Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium in November thanks to a goal from Luke McCormick.
Taylor said that Rovers must believe in themselves and bounce back with a win over Wrexham next Saturday.
“When you’re not in the best of form, confidence is always questioned,” he said. “But you’ve got to find that belief within yourself. There’s no point sulking or moaning. You’ve got the jersey; you’re on the pitch. Nobody is going to help you.
“It’s up to you to turn it around for yourself. We’ve got to find a way to lift the spirits and go again. There’s another tough game next Saturday. We’ve got to find a way to win that game.
“We’ve got different types of characters. But let’s be honest, where are we in the league? We’re in 20th, but there’s got to be a realisation from the position we’re in that we’ve got to start winning games of football. We’re under no illusions of that.”
The Pirates were well supported against Birmingham, with over 2,000 Gasheads travelling to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park. The centre-back was delighted with the support and emphasised the fans’ importance at The Memorial Stadium this weekend.
"The fans were brilliant today," he said. "There were 2,000 packed away in there. It’s just a shame we couldn’t send them home with anything. But they are going to be massive for us."
