Gatlin O’Donkor said Bristol Rovers are going in the right direction after the Gas lost 3-2 to Leyton Orient at The Memorial Stadium.
The forward started on the left side of Rovers’ attack and played the entire game, constantly causing problems and netting in the last moments of the contest, only for his leveller to be disallowed for handball.
The Gas were narrowly beaten by the O’s, with two goals from Chris Martin not enough to stop Orient from extending their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions.
O’Donkor reflected on the match and Rovers’ performance at home.
“We grew into the game and started pretty well, had a couple of chances,” he said. “We conceded a lot of sloppy goals today as well. But we’re trying to cut them out. At the end of the day, the performances are a bit better, so it’s a step in the right direction.”
The Oxford United loanee made his third start for the Gas in Sky Bet League One and is building his way back into the team after missing five games through a hamstring injury midway through the campaign.
O’Donkor is pushing for a way into the side after an impressive performance and has put his name in the hat to start Rovers’ next game against Cambridge United on Saturday.
“It’s all you can do at the moment,” said O’Donkor. “Just try to go out there and give 100 per cent. At the end of the day, the gaffer picks the team, so give him that question to ask.”
Rovers have lost six of their last seven games in the third tier and are hovering just above the relegation zone, but positives can be taken from the 3-2 loss against Orient. The Gas started the game strongly and had good spells across the contest despite coming away without anything in return, with O’Donkor focused on turning performances into wins.
“At the end of the day, we want to win more games. We need to get more points on the board, but I think the boys showed a very competitive side today and showed a good team spirit,”
“Three points is all that matters. So, we’ll try again on the weekend.”
The game against the O’s was Iñigo Calderón's second in charge of the Gas since being appointed as the new head coach on Boxing Day. Watching from the stands against Exeter City, the Spaniard was in the dugout away to Stevenage before taking his first home game at The Memorial Stadium on Wednesday.
O’Donkor has been impressed by the new head coach and insisted that he is delivering a clear message to the players.
“He’s really good,” he said. “He puts his clear message out on how he wants us to play, gets after the boys and demands a lot, so it’s good.
“Every manager has their own way of playing; it’s just about how quickly we can adapt to it in a short period of time. Since he’s come in, we’ve had quite a lot of games quite quickly. So, it’s just getting the messages on board and trying to put them onto the pitch.
“Every time a manager comes in, they bring different ideas, and you learn different things from different coaches. So, I think everyone is trying to pick stuff that can improve their game.”
