Iñigo Calderón stated that he is looking forward to Bristol Rovers’ upcoming clash against Ipswich Town in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup.
The Pirates reached this stage of the competition courtesy of goalkeeping heroics from Josh Griffiths, who made plenty of strong stops in regulation time to keep the score goalless away to Barnsley before saving Josh Earl’s spot-kick in the penalty shootout.
Rovers will also be bouncing after ending their busy spell of fixtures with a 1-0 win over Cambridge United in Sky Bet League One to hand Calderón his first win leading the Gas.
Speaking to the media, Calderón discussed the week of training, new signing Romaine Sawyers, the latest team news and the Emirates FA Cup.
THE WEEK OF TRAINING
“This week has been really good,” said the head coach. “I was looking forward to this week since I came here because we couldn’t train. That was the reality. So, finally, we could do two really good sessions.
“Today was a bit different because we had to adapt again because of the weather conditions and we had to move to another pitch. That is not ideal, but after being so desperate to train, I don’t want to use excuses because I was happy with that.
“I cannot say anything bad about the players. I think they have good momentum; they are willing to listen and get things on board. They wanted to train properly and see how the coach is. The meetings are not enough. You want to see how the coach is in the session, and I think they could feel how I am. It’s been two good days, and I’m looking forward to the game.”
ROMAINE SAWYERS
“Everyone that trained today, I think will be in contention to be in the squad for Sunday,” said Calderón. “He [Sawyers] has been playing at a high level. So, you can see the experience in the game. Not because of his age but because of the position he has been playing at a top level.
“I think he can give us a lot of things in the midfielder role because I always say that I like to control more of the game. I think he will be a key part for that.”
TEAM NEWS
“Jack Hunt is available for the game, so that is good news,” said the Spaniard. “I hate it when I see people running and running and running and not being able to play football. So, everybody is more than welcome as we need bodies.
“Everyone in this squad can bring things. I like the mix we have with the young players and the experienced players. I think it is a great combination. For me, that is key.
“I said to the boys that I have so much belief in all of them that I am not wasting too much time thinking who is going to play because I prefer to give everyone a chance during the week, and after, pick the 11. I am not worried about that; it is not a problem for me.”
IPSWICH TOWN PREVIEW
“You expect some changes from them because the cup for them could be a chance to play players that haven’t been playing, but we don’t know yet,” he stated. “In the meeting with the boys, I have not spent too much time on them. I prefer to think about us.
“We will have to do a lot of things right, so I do not want to waste time thinking of them because that is not under my control. We have a lot of things to improve, and that’s the ones I want to see.”
Calderón later added: “Ipswich are a good example of when you do things right, you can achieve things that are maybe was not your idea at the beginning. That’s why I love football. That’s why I love coaching because if you do things right, you can beat bigger clubs or clubs with more money.”
FA CUP MAGIC
“You can feel the magic of the FA Cup when I was a player, and it’s a special one,” he said. “It’s magic because sometimes the small teams and the lower division teams can beat the big ones. That’s why it’s special, and sometimes it happens. Hopefully, on Sunday.
“It’s the chance for teams in the lower division to play in good grounds or trips. Even playing away, I think it’s even better because you know it’s something special for the fans.”
