Joel Senior stated that he hopes Bristol Rovers put on a performance to make the fans proud ahead of the Gas’ trip to Birmingham City in Sky Bet League One.
Rovers are back in action after an 11-day break and are away to the Blues, who are in third position in the table, but are only one point off leaders Wycombe Wanderers after playing one game fewer than the Chairboys.
The Pirates are looking to return to winning ways after losing 3-0 to Leyton Orient in their last outing in the third tier, missing last weekend’s clash against Bolton Wanderers at The Memorial Stadium after it was postponed due to safety reasons as a result of Storm Darragh.
Senior said the postponed game against the Terries gave his side a break in a busy schedule but insisted that the missed match has given them extra motivation to perform.
“It’s given us a rest,” he said. “Obviously, around December time there’s so many games, so it gives us a rest before all the fixtures that are ahead. It makes us more motivated to go out on Saturday and perform having missed a game and hopefully, we’ll push up the league table.
“It’s going to be a good game and one that we all know is going to be tough, but we’re looking forward to going there and hopefully putting on a performance. If we believe in ourselves and put on a good show, then we can take something from the game.
"It’ll be enjoyable. When the fans come, they show up in numbers, and they show how loud they are, so I’m looking forward to playing in front of them, and hopefully, we can put on a performance to make them proud."
Rovers fell to a disappointing defeat to the O’s in their last fixture, conceding three times in a tricky first half, but had previously displayed plenty of positives on the road.
Putting on a valiant display in their 1-0 loss to Reading, the Gas beat Mansfield Town 1-0 before beating Barnsley on penalties in the second round of the Emirates FA Cup.
Senior suggested that his side could take positives from their away performances and said that they would need to show similar characteristics in their performance that got them positive results against Mansfield and Barnsley.
“You can take confidence from the Mansfield game and the Barnsley game, where we dug in,” said the right-back. “We know it’s going to be similar to that on Saturday, where we’re going to have to roll our sleeves up and hold onto a result.
“But, we’re looking forward to it. It’s a good place to go and play football, so we should all believe, and hopefully, we can come back with a result.”
Senior was Rovers' sixth of 16 summer signings, with the defender joining from Morecambe. He made 50 appearances in all competitions for the Shrimps last term, but suffered a serious injury in his second league appearance against Stockport in August, making his return against Barnsley right at the end of November.
He is pleased to be back playing again and said his return against the Tykes made his rehabilitation worth it.
“It’s really enjoyable to be back on the pitch,” said Senior. “It’s not easy when you sign for a new club, and you get injured within the first couple of games, then having a few setbacks along the way and miss a long time.
“But now I’m back, I feel good and I’m ready to perform for the club and show the fans what I can do.
Being stuck in the gym for long periods of time with the physios, but they’ve been great with me, looked after me and done everything they could to get me back out there.
When I finally stepped out onto the pitch against Barnsley, it felt like all the hard work was worth it. I’m glad that all the stuff went well in the rehab to get me to where I am now.
