Jed Ward insisted it was a 'frustrating afternoon’ after Bristol Rovers lost 1-0 to Crawley Town in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas were looking to bounce back from their disheartening 5-0 defeat to Lincoln City with a third win in four outings in the third tier but struggled to get going against the Red Devils. Kamari Doyle provided the decisive moment, finishing past Ward in the first half to end Crawley's eight-game winless run.
The Pirates remain six points above the relegation zone with eight fixtures left to play, with five coming at The Memorial Stadium. However, the Gas might be looking over their shoulder, with Burton Albion having played one fixture fewer in the position below.
Ward was disappointed with Rovers’ defeat to Crawley and admitted his side could not get into the contest.
“It was a frustrating afternoon,” said the goalkeeper. “I don’t think we can read too much into where we are in the table and what this game meant. I think every game is massive for us. I think we need to be picking up points at every game, and today, that didn’t happen. I think the mentality on the pitch wasn’t quite where we wanted it to be in terms of the fighting edge and the battling side of it. We just couldn’t get a foot in the game.”
Crawley had struggled for form in League One and started the day 12 points from safety. The Red Devils parted company with manager Rob Elliot on Wednesday and replaced him with Scott Lindsey, who returned for his second stint in charge after leading them to promotion from League Two last term.
The 52-year-old departed for League Two MK Dons six months ago, but his return to Crawley brought a good feeling to Broadfield Stadium, with the home fans rocking throughout.
Ward stated the Gas should have started stronger than they did and cannot focus on their opponents.
“I don’t think that’s something you can think about,” said Ward. “We need to look at ourselves and think about how we’re going to affect the game. We can’t be worrying about how they’ve got a new manager or their fans are loud. We needed to be at it from minute one, and we needed to focus on ourselves, which I don’t think we did."
Iñigo Calderón’s first win as Rovers’ head coach came away to Cambridge United, with the Gas leaving with a 1-0 victory thanks to Luke Thomas’ goal. However, the Pirates have struggled on the road since then and are winless in eight outings.
Their form on their travels contrasts that at The Mem, where Rovers have recently collected victories over promotion hopefuls Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers. Ward cannot pinpoint why his team have struggled on the road and confessed their form must change if they want to steer clear of danger.
“I can’t tell you why that is,” said Ward. “I’m just a player, and we’ve got to come to places like this with the right attitude and the right mentality. That might be it, I don’t know. It certainly needs to change if we want to be safe at the end of the season."
Ward has kept two clean sheets in ten appearances for the Gas since returning from his loan spell at National League outfit Forest Green Rovers. Despite recent defeats, Ward has made some fantastic saves, including several against Crawley to keep the contest close until the end.
The 21-year-old has been delighted with his spell in the side and asserted that he and the team are doing everything to keep Rovers in League One.
“You know how much I love playing for this club,” he said. “Coming through and hearing the roar of the Gasheads, like I always say, it’s a surreal feeling. I get that it’s tough at the minute because we just want to be safe and be in League One for next season. But, just got to stick with us. We’re doing everything we can, and my passion will never go for this club. I’ll do everything I can to try and keep us in this league.”
Rovers return to action when they host Mansfield Town next weekend. It is an important game towards the bottom of the table, with the Stags only two points above the Gas. Despite the close proximity between the two clubs in the table, Ward emphasised the value of every fixture.
“I think every game is massive for us,” he said. “Every game, we need to be getting points out of it. Home, away, top of the league or bottom of the league. Whoever it is, I think every game is our cup final.
“I think we’ve got to review and reflect. Now it’s about attacking Mansfield. I’m a big believer in not getting too high with the highs and not getting too low with the lows. I think you’ve got to just brush past it, reflect, review and move on to the next one.”
