Iñigo Calderón stated his Bristol Rovers team must do much better after a stoppage-time defeat to Rotherham United in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas started quickly and led inside five minutes through Ruel Sotiriou’s clever finish. However, the Millers grew into the contest and turned the score around, with Sam Nombe netting the leveller before Zak Jules’ header put the visitors ahead.
Sil Swinkels equalised for the Pirates with his second goal at The Memorial Stadium, but Nombe scored in the final moments to help Rotherham to all the points.
The Gas have lost their last three games in the third tier, with Calderón disappointed with the defeat.
We have to do much better...
“If I said the last one against Northampton was hard to take, today was probably even worse because being at home, especially after being 2-1 down, we were able to score the equaliser,” he said. “Dropping the point in the last bit is not what you want, but I don’t think we had a good day today.
“That’s the main thing for me. We have to do much better because otherwise, we’re going to be in the air. It can go either way. I’m not too happy today.”
I think we made our lives more difficult during the game...
“I think when we score too early, we were a bit complacent and waiting to see what happens,” said Calderón. "It was a good start. When we play a little bit, we create chances, and we look alright, but we stopped playing. Then we have to defend more, and they were stronger than us. I think we made our lives more difficult during the game.”
I didn’t like the start of the second half...
“I didn’t like the start of the second half,” said the head coach. “I don’t think we started well at all. I think it was coming again. After we conceded the goal, the game was not going in the right direction. We tried to change the shape, we have two players up front, we changed the personnel, and I think we affected the game well. It was probably the best moment of the game that we saw.
“Probably without playing brilliantly, but with a lot of desire, and you could see the goal was coming for us. We scored the equaliser. That was really important because that was a key moment for us, but I think after that, the game was a bit dead, and there was nothing in the game. It gives them a chance to score if you make a mistake, and that happened.”
You don’t want to give them free chances to score...
“We knew that if they are going to score, they are going to score probably from a set-piece or cross,” he said. “They are not going to do 25 passes and score a goal. We knew that, and we have to deal with that. That’s why we tried to prevent that and concede less.
“You don’t want to give them free chances to score, and we knew they would have more chances because they are good in that, and we didn’t stop that today.”
I knew that Promise Omochere probably couldn’t affect the game too much...
“I knew that Promise Omochere probably couldn’t affect the game too much today because after being out for a while, it’s more about him feeling it again on the field,” said the Spaniard. “It was important for me that he’s having minutes on the field because we’re going to need everyone for the team.”
We have to win on Tuesday, 100 per cent...
“We had a good record at home and not good at all away,” he said. “So, now we have to change it because if we win on Tuesday, maybe you don’t remember today too much. Tuesday is a massive one. We have to change the form away. We have to win on Tuesday, 100 per cent.”
