Iñigo Calderón stated that his Bristol Rovers team must not make excuses after the Gas lost 3-2 to Leyton Orient at The Memorial Stadium.
The Pirates were looking to start 2025 with a win and had the momentum when Chris Martin’s penalty cancelled out Ethan Galbraith’s opener, but goals from Jamie Donley and Charlie Kelman either side of half-time put the O’s in a strong position.
Martin netted his second with 15 minutes left to pressurise the visitors, but Orient stayed strong to claim the victory.
Calderón discussed the match, training and the home fans.
I’m disappointed because we wanted to win...
“I’m disappointed because we wanted to win, especially in front of the fans. I have a mix of emotions,” he said. “I really enjoyed the first 50 to 60 minutes. Until the third goal, we did a lot of good things.
“It is not easy. The game is a clear example of two teams in different moments of the season. I think they are in a good run, and you can see they don’t need to do too much to score. They scored two goals without doing too much and we had to do a lot of things because we are in a bad run.
“That’s not an excuse or to feel sorry for ourselves. We know we are in a bad run because we created that bad run.
“I’m happy with the boys because I think it is too easy to start the game well, and the first chance they [Orient] have, they score. So, dealing with that is not easy when you are there, so credit to the boys as I think they tried, and we have to keep doing that.”
They scored a goal from nowhere, and the second one the same...
“They scored a goal from nowhere, and the second one the same,” said the head coach. “You get back and make it 1-1, and they score the free-kick from a top, top goal. It’s going to be like that. We cannot wait, even the last one, I don’t know if it was a handball or not, but it’s going to be like that when you are there, it’s going to be like that. You’re going to have everything against you.
“It’s not an excuse. If we start putting in excuses, we’re wasting time. We have to do things right, and that’s it.”
We have to check Promise Omochere...
“We have to check Promise Omochere, but that’s another one,” said Calderón. “That could be an excuse, but we have the squad. That’s why I trust everyone in the team.
“That’s the price when you play so many games. We have to deal with that, and we maybe took a risk playing him, but no excuses, a solution.”
In the two games, all the players have been involved...
“As a coach, it’s not the best to come to in with so many games because you cannot train, and for me, the training is the way I can try to give my message to the players,” he said.
“But at the same time, you know you have a lot of games, so a lot of players can have a chance and a lot of players like Chris Martin, Grant Ward, Ruel Sotiriou and Lino Sousa can come in.
“In the two games, all the players have been involved. At the end of the day, we need that. We need plenty of bodies. We need plenty of players ready. That’s positive as well.”
I’m learning at the same time as we are playing games...
“I’m learning at the same time as we are playing games,” said the Spaniard. “We are trying to do everything possible. I said before, I can give you all the theory of how to ride a bike. You can buy books about how to ride a bike, but if you do not start to do it, you cannot learn.
“For me, learning comes from the sessions. We are learning without being able to train, but again, no excuses, solutions.”
The fans saw that the boys have the passion...
“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “The first goal I was waiting and thinking, please because you have so much time to make sure that you score. So, I really enjoyed it.
“The fans saw that the boys have the passion that they want, and the connection is going to be key for the future.”
