Iñigo Calderón praised his Bristol Rovers side but stated it was ‘still not enough’ after the Gas lost 1-0 to Bolton Wanderers in Sky Bet League One.
The Pirates were looking to end their four-game losing run in the third tier with a first victory since beating the Trotters in an enthralling fixture at The Memorial Stadium less than one month ago but lost in a close contest.
Former Rovers striker Aaron Collins finally found a way past Jed Ward after the goalkeeper denied him with a handful of clever saves in the second half, planting his downward header into the bottom corner.
Calderón was positive about the performance but accepted his team ran out of steam against Bolton, who retained their place in the playoffs with a victory.
I think the first half was really good...
“I think the first half was really good,” said the head coach. “I was really pleased with the team, especially defensively. I thought we were solid. I think we did really well with our game plan.
“In the second half, I think we stopped doing the things that were good, but still, I don’t think we struggled too much. A little bit, obviously. You expect them to have the momentum because that’s why they are in the top six, and we are not. Overall, I would say it was a good performance, but still not enough in terms of 60 to 65 minutes. But after it’s true, we were a bit more positive, and we had a few chances but, as always, we have to improve. We have to improve, as that’s why we are losing games.”
We have to keep improving...
“Even before the goal, maybe I was starting to think, ‘we have to do something because it’s not working,’” he said. “The gameplan didn’t change, but the discipline of the legs to do it, you have to keep that for 95 minutes, and probably you go back to last Tuesday, and maybe we are paying the effort of last Tuesday’s game.
“It was a great effort. That’s the price. In the end, it’s the last bit of the season. The legs are not the best as before and they are not as fresh as before. We have to keep improving. There are a few positive things to take from the game, but we have to hurry up.
We try to approach the game the same way...
“The plan is the same one,” said Calderón. “We try to approach the game the same way. Maybe against a side like Bolton, the plan is more about defending, but it’s not that we don’t want to attack at all. For me, the best way to defend is to attack well. But it’s true that we were not too clean. I think we were doing better in the defensive phase than the attacking one.
“After in the second half, I think because they scored, they were a bit deeper, and we had more possession in the other half. It’s not enough, and that’s the reason why we are not winning away.”
It’s difficult to take...
“It’s difficult to take, especially because you are arriving at the last bit when you have to be mentally stronger, and it’s not easy to keep us strong when you are having that,” he said. “It’s true that in the last three games, I’m quite happy overall with the games. Against Mansfield, I think we were good; it was two silly mistakes. The other day against Birmingham, it was 85 minutes well and today, playing away, maybe it’s been the best game we’ve played away from home.
“I want to see that as a positive because the last two [away] games we played against Lincoln and Crawley was a disaster. I cannot say that from today against a better team. I think there are positive things. It's difficult to take and difficult to watch the game because you just see the defeat, and that’s the reality. It’s not what you deserve. It’s what you get, and we got zero points today. It’s true that I see improvements every single day, and that’s the good thing.”
We know that the next game is a final...
“We know that the next game is a final,” said the Spaniard. “There’s not too many finals, and I try to avoid that term, but I think it’s a final. It has to be a final for us because playing at home with our fans especially, that’s not pressure. That’s the reality. It’s a final for us.”
