Iñigo Calderón insisted everyone at Bristol Rovers is doing 'everything possible' to get ready for the Gas' trip to Wrexham in Sky Bet League One.
The Pirates have lost their previous six fixtures in the third tier and dropped into the relegation zone after falling to a 2-1 defeat to Exeter City at The Memorial Stadium last weekend. Caleb Watts and Reece Cole put the Grecians two goals ahead in the first half, with Ruel Sotiriou’s strike after the break proving to be a consolation.
Level on points with Burton Albion, who are outside the drop zone on goal difference with a game in hand, the Gas have four matches remaining to retain their League One status.
Calderón stated all the players are doing everything they can to turn Rovers' fortunes around before previewing the trip to Wrexham.
WORKING HARD
“I think the last weeks have been good. It’s difficult to keep saying that we are working well and we are doing things right. I know that’s difficult to believe, but it’s what I think, and I think the games we’ve played, we should get more from them.
“I have to do a press conference. You ask me, and I try to answer, but for me, it’s not about telling things. It’s about working, and that’s what we are doing. I have to try and explain what we are doing, and we are trying to do everything possible this week, and even today, we are trying to tick all the boxes we have to tick to be ready for the game.
“As I’ve been saying, it’s not easy. It’s not easy because on Saturday after the game, everybody was really, really down. Not just because you fell down to the relegation spots, it’s more the fact that, again, it’s another game that with not too many things against, we couldn’t win it. As I said, I think we did enough things to win without being great.
“Saturday, I was dead. Sunday, I started to breathe a little bit. Monday, I think we are alright, and today, I have a great feeling. You can say whatever you want, but it’s how I feel. We have to try to tick all the boxes to be ready for Friday. It’s not going to be easy, but I try to say to the boys that we are not that far. I don’t think we are that far.
“We have to do things better. It’s not waiting for luck to change or for football to be fairer with us. It’s not about that. If we are not winning, it’s because we are still making mistakes, and that’s things we have to solve and not wait. If you wait for the luck or the referees to give us something, then we are done.”
A FRUSTRATING TIME
“Nobody wants to be there [in the relegation zone]. I always say about the fans that I understand their frustration because I am the first one that’s frustrated with myself because losing six games in a row, that’s never happened in my life as a player or a coach.
“It’s really difficult to take and to try to see the positives in there when we’re losing and losing is really difficult. I obviously understand all the frustration. So, don’t think that people don’t care in the building.
"Everybody is different, and they feel it differently, but I can tell you that the team was really down on Saturday. Like really, really down. We had a good conversation with everyone to realise the situation we are in, but as I say, it’s not more about talking. It’s about doing things right.”
CONCEDING FEWER CHANCES
“We are conceding fewer chances than before by a mile. Before, we were conceding 15 or 20 chances per game. It was something ridiculous. We cut that to seven, five, eight. In the last game, we had five shots against, and we had 15, but still, we conceded the goal. Before they scored the first one, I don’t think they approached the box at all. It was the first time they approached our box, and we conceded a goal. That’s not what you want. Obviously, you don’t want to concede a goal, but at this moment, you can feel it’s happening to us, and that’s the most difficult thing.
“I spoke with the boys, and obviously, we have to try to avoid the goals against us but, at the same time, trying to avoid it affecting us that much. I understand it is not easy, and you can see, even at half-time the other day, the boys were really down. What I tried to do at half-time was not tactics. It was just to lift them up. But at the same time, I was down too because it was two chances and two goals conceded. That’s really difficult to take, but nobody is going to come here to help us. We have to be the ones trying to get out of the situation, and we are trying to do that.”
WREXHAM PREVIEW
“At this point, I know about these players. Maybe you play against someone who doesn’t have to play for anything, and you think it’s going to be easier, and it’s not. For example, the game against Bolton. They were fighting for good things up top, and I think, especially in the first half, we were good. Still, with things to improve, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because you could think that Exeter didn’t have too much to play for, and they scored the first goal. I’m worried about the opposition, but I’m not worried about my team, and that’s the thing we have to try to be focused on.”
TEAM NEWS
“It’s something that we are still waiting for, but hopefully, we are all ready for Friday. I would say the same players that were ready for the last game, I think, will be the same ones for this Friday.”
STAYING IN LEAGUE ONE
“I was not too [confident] on Saturday after the game. I start to believe that we have a good chance, and that’s a credit to the boys, credit to the staff and credit to everyone working at this training ground that gives us that because we are trying to do things right. I can see the group is coming together more than separately, so I believe that has to give us something good. But as I say, we cannot wait, sitting here thinking, ‘let’s see what’s going to come to us.’ We have to go and take it. We have to go and get it. It’s not about what we deserve and not about crying. It’s about ‘OK, come to me’.”
