Isaac Hutchinson stated that everyone is ‘desperate’ to get back on the pitch ahead of Bristol Rovers’ fixture against Peterborough United at The Memorial Stadium.
The Gas will be looking to respond to back-to-back 2-0 away defeats to Wigan Athletic and Charlton Athletic with a victory at home, with Rovers sitting just four points above the relegation zone.
The Pirates had looked to have started to build form under head coach Iñigo Calderón after two straight wins in the third tier against Cambridge United and Barnsley but suffered a setback on their recent travels.
Hutchinson was adamant that his team wants to get back out on the grass to build some momentum again and insisted that they could take positives into their game against the Posh.
“We’re desperate to get back out on the pitch,” he said. “Off the back of the two games before that, I think we had a good feeling and a bit of momentum going our way. So, it’s just about trying to build that again, and we’ve got a good opportunity to do that on Sunday.
“I think there were plenty of positives to take at certain points within the games over the last couple of days. We take confidence from that, and we know what we’re going to do with our plan for the game, and hopefully, we can put it into action.”
The Gas have found it difficult to build any consistency with their results this season and have only won back-to-back matches twice. Hutchinson believes his side can go on a run and has challenged his team to keep the momentum going when it starts to build.
“We know we’re capable of it,” said the midfielder. “If you can win two games on the bounce, you can win four. We know that’s a possibility for us. We just need to keep that confidence going and keep our foot on the pedal when we’re doing well.”
Peterborough have finished in the Sky Bet League One playoff places in the last two campaigns but are battling towards the bottom end of the table this term. The Posh beat Wigan in their previous outing to claim their first win in nine games in the third tier and are just one place and two points above the Gas.
Hutchinson knows the importance of games against the teams around Rovers in the table and admitted that his team will attack the fixture.
“We know how they play,” he said. “They like to have the ball, and they’re good at doing that, but I think they are one place above us in the table, and we’ve got a chance to go above them, and there’s a reason for that. We’ll go into the game to win it, and we’re going to attack it.”
Rovers are back at home for the first time since beating Barnsley 3-1, where Gatlin O’Donkor, Hutchinson and Ruel Sotiriou all scored in an impressive victory at an atmospheric Memorial Stadium. The Gas now play three consecutive games at home, with Hutchinson seeing the fixture schedule as a benefit.
“We’ve all been craving that feeling,” said the 24-year-old. “It’s felt like a long few days with the two away games and the travelling, so we’re all buzzing to be back at The Mem in front of our fans, and hopefully we can give them something to shout about.
“It allows us to settle as a team and have that consistency in what we’re doing. The fact it’s at home is 100 per cent a benefit for us.”
The Pirates secured their second summer signing on Wednesday, adding Matt Butcher on loan from Wycombe Wanderers until the end of the season. Hutchinson praised the new midfielder and suggested that anyone new coming in will help the team.
“We’ve had a good session out there,” said Hutchinson. “He looks a really good player and a good bloke as well. I think whenever you’re signing players now, it’s about understanding that they are here to help the team and that they can always help you, you can help them, and ultimately, they’ve joined to join the cause and help this team to better.”
