Iñigo Calderón was delighted to train in front of the fans at The Memorial Stadium on Tuesday ahead of Bristol Rovers’ massive home fixture against Exeter City on Saturday.
Plenty of Gasheads decided to start the Easter holidays at BS7 to watch the players prepare for their fixture against the Grecians before signing autographs and taking pictures.
It’s a crucial match for the Pirates, who want to improve their form after losing five successive Sky Bet League One games. Rovers lost narrowly to promotion hopefuls Bolton Wanderers in their last outing, with Aaron Collins heading in the only goal, with the Gas just three points above the relegation zone going into the final five fixtures of the season.
Calderón reflected positively on the opening training session and the importance of the fans before previewing the game against Exeter.
OPEN TRAINING SESSION
“I liked it. I remember when I was a player, I liked to train in the stadium. It was always a good feeling to train in the stadium, and as well, it’s good to stay with the fans, especially with kids. I love it when they come with the kids with the Rovers shirt. I love that, and it’s important that they see us as well. I think it’s a good combination, and probably it’s a good time to feel the support and that love from the kids. I was really pleased with that.
“The fans are the most important part of the club. The players, the managers, we go, and we come, but the fans are the most important ones. For me, when I see kids with the Rovers shirt, I love it. The easiest one would be to pick one of the Premier League clubs, but they are a Rovers fan. I love that. That’s really, really important for the club.
“If I had to pick a week to do it, it’s this week because it’s a special week for us, and to feel that support because the kids are so honest, and they put a smile on your face. So, it’s really important to feel good with them.”
EXETER CITY PREVIEW
“I said the other day about [it being] the final. Obviously, there are more games after that, but still, we have to approach it like it’s a game we cannot lose because we have been saying that we have been improving in the last games. I have said that. It’s difficult to believe, or it’s an excuse because we lost the last five, and that’s a lot, but it’s true that I’ve seen improvements.
“But the improvements when you don’t get the results, they don’t give us any points. It’s about results, but it’s true that I want to think that the improvements that we have made so far are going to make it a bit easier to get the three [points].
“You would prefer to play really, really bad and get the three, don’t get me wrong. It's just trying to get the positives from the last games and try to build that confidence this time of the year is important. But it’s about the results, and if we play the worst game ever and we score in the last minute with nearly a handball, I will take it.”
PLAYING AT THE MEM
“I always feel so good when I play at home. When I come in one and a half hours before, I always feel good when we are here. I think the team feels that as well. We’ve been performing better at home. In the last two defeats we had, I think, against Mansfield and Birmingham, we deserved more. It’s not about what you deserve, but it’s true that you want to have the belief that you are doing things right, and we are closer to getting the three points.”
LOOKING FOR A BETTER START AT HOME
“The last two [home] games we didn’t start that well. That’s not what you want, especially in these circumstances. You want to have a good start or at least a normal start. Nothing happens at the beginning because the game is too long. So, it’s important to stay in the game as long as possible.”
TEAM NEWS
“Not from the last game. We have enough injuries, so hopefully, we don’t have any more. With the number of injuries that we have at the moment, the ones that were out for a while, you can see that they are feeling better because there are some players that have been playing week in and week out, and they're the ones that look a bit fresher. That’s important.”
