Iñigo Calderón believes Bolton Wanderers will be a ‘great challenge’ for his Bristol Rovers team ahead of their trip to the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
The Gas will be looking to end their four-game winless streak in Sky Bet League One but will have to improve their away form, with Rovers’ previous victory on the road coming against Cambridge United at the start of 2025.
The Pirates battled well in their 2-1 defeat against Birmingham City on Tuesday night, creating enough chances to beat the league leaders before falling to Jay Stansfield's late penalty five minutes from the end. The loss leaves Rovers three points above the relegation zone, with Burton Albion closing the gap on the Gas after their 2-1 victory over Leyton Orient.
Calderón reflected honestly on the defeat to Birmingham before previewing the trip to Bolton and offering team news.
BIRMINGHAM CITY REFLECTIONS
“It was a mixture of emotions because I think we deserved more from the game, but unfortunately, they don’t give us any points because of how much you deserve it. So, it’s how much you get, and we didn’t get anything from that game, so we have to do better because if we start to feel unlucky, then we are wasting our time.
“We have to be focused on the things we have to do, and we still have to improve things because, as I said yesterday, the start was not good enough, and after, it was a lack of concentration. It was a split second, but, in the moment we are, that’s enough to lose a football game. It’s trying to use that, and we’ll be closer to getting the points.”
MOOD IN TRAINING
“Everybody knew that it was a good game, but at the time, it’s even more frustrating because when you have a good game, and you don’t get anything from it, it’s even more frustrating.
“Life when you are down there is not easy, and it’s unfair, but you cannot cry because when you cry, you are losing time, and you cannot lose time.”
BOLTON PREVIEW
“It’s going to be a great challenge because we know away from home, we haven’t been good enough. We cannot start thinking about the past anymore, and the next one is the most important one. We know it’s going to be a difficult challenge because they are in good form. We try to put that as a challenge for us. We try to improve the things we haven’t done away from home. The good thing every time coming to the training ground is that I feel good with the boys, and the way they performed yesterday in a difficult situation gives me the belief that we are doing things right.
“We try to approach the game the same way. We try to train the same way. We try to name the team the same way. So, everything is the same, but at the time, I don’t think we can go crazy about that because if you see all the divisions in the football world, the teams down there struggle to get the points away from home, and that’s the reality. So, you cannot just get mad. We know that we have to do something better, for sure. We are trying, and the boys are conscious of that, and we are going to try and do our best.”
BOLTON WIN AT THE MEM
“The good thing is that we have been performing well against good teams. Huddersfield, Bolton and Birmingham, I think we performed better than the teams that are not as high in the table. So, that has to give us confidence. Being away is going to be more difficult, but we will try to work from the last game because, for me, that was a great example. In the first half, I don’t think we were that good, but in the second half, we were much better. Sometimes, the way we approach the game is when we are on the front foot, we are a better team. Even yesterday, in the first ten minutes, we were on the back foot, and we are not comfortable with that.
“There are teams that are happy waiting. I don’t think we are good at this. I think we have to be full on, and when we do that, I think we are a better team.”
TEAM NEWS
“Joel Senior found something in his ankle today. It’s nothing major, but that’s the problem when you have so many games together. Maybe it’s going to be four or five days. I don’t know, as it was only this morning. He’s the only one, I would say. The rest are fit.”
STARTS FOR O'DONKOR AND SAWYERS
“It was good for both of them. Romaine was 90 minutes. I was quite happy with that because we knew that coming from a long injury, sometimes you struggle to play Saturday and Tuesday. I think he performed well, and Gatlin is the same. It’s true that we had to change him because it was quite obvious that he was a bit tired. I think Gatlin was much better than last Saturday.
“Last Saturday, I was not too happy with the performance. I was even thinking of dropping him from the team, but yesterday was much better. I still think he has to improve a lot of things, but obviously, it was a step forward.”
SIX GAMES LEFT TO PLAY
“I’m quite positive, by the way. But at the same time, I’m realistic, and I know that, although it is the first senior role for me, I’ve been in football for 25 years. So, I know how it is and, unfortunately, a lot of times down there. I know that you are going to be there until the end. We are going to be there. The good thing is that we have been living there, so we know how to approach that. We know how to play games.
“I said to the boys that in the last two days, I have slept so bad, and I’m not playing. So, imagine when you play, obviously, you are going to be more fatigued than the others because yesterday [against] Birmingham, they are happy. They are having a honeymoon, but that’s football, and the good thing is that we are adapting well to that situation because, unfortunately, we have been in there for a long time.”
