Iñigo Calderón stated he was ‘disappointed and frustrated’ after Bristol Rovers lost 1-0 to Stevenage at The Memorial Stadium.
The Gas were looking to build on a positive result and performance after a 1-1 draw away to promotion hopefuls Wrexham just two days ago but fell to their seventh defeat in eight Sky Bet League One outings.
Jamie Reid struck the winner in the first half after dribbling around Jed Ward, with Rovers unable to truly test Taye Ashby-Hammond in Boro’s net despite making attacking changes after the break.
Calderón reflected honestly on Rovers’ defeat and league position, with the Pirates in the relegation zone on goal difference with two games remaining.
It was not the performance we needed...
“It was not the performance we needed,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. I don’t think it was good enough, especially in the first half. It was not the level we have to be on a day like today. It was not good enough. The first half especially, I would say. In the second half, you have to change the game, and maybe it’s a bit more chaotic, and the nerves come. It’s not the first game it’s happened. They scored the first one too early in the game, and then we panicked because of the situation we were in.
“I think it’s not easy to explain. It’s not easy to be there or at least try to understand how I think we are. I want to think that we were a bit locked because we could not express ourselves. We are thinking more about the situation we are in more than what we have to do in the game, and then it’s a problem.
“Then it’s a problem because we look worse, and it was not acceptable. I think we didn’t deserve to win the game at all. I don’t think we even deserved to get a point today, and that’s really frustrating because, especially after coming from Friday and getting a good result against Wrexham away, I’m disappointed. Obviously, I’m disappointed and frustrated.”
I’m not going to blame the players at all...
“I am the first one that maybe was not at the level,” said Calderón. “I’m not going to blame the players at all. We are all in the same situation, so I’m not going to blame them. I was a player, and I know how they felt because I have been there, fighting against relegation. Your legs don’t work the same way, and it’s not an excuse. We cannot use it as an excuse because we put ourselves in that situation.
“The surprise thing for me is that we have been there for a long time, but especially after the goal, it was a similar situation as against Mansfield. It was a similar situation against Exeter.
“It’s happened too many times, and it’s difficult to even explain, but somehow, we still have chances. Not because we deserved today, but because maybe in the past, we deserved more. That’s why we still have chances, and obviously, I’m not going to be positive today because I’m not. I’m really disappointed and upset and everything you want to say, but it’s true that somehow, we still have chances, and we have to think what we have to do because we have a game on Saturday again. Somehow, we have a chance.”
We have to do better...
“You can cut and copy the same interview, and I feel sorry because I have to say the same things,” said the head coach. “I cannot explain another thing. I have to say what I see and what I feel, and as I say, I have to understand that it’s not an easy situation for the players to deal with.
“But at the same time, we have to do better because we still have two games left, and first because of ourselves, each one has its own reasons, but more importantly, because we are defending the badge. We are defending the football club, and we have to keep going. If we are not performing, I am the first one to blame.”
