Matt Taylor stated he has been pleased with training this week ahead of Bristol Rovers’ trip to Huddersfield Town in Sky Bet League One.
There has been a break between fixtures after the match against Blackpool was postponed last weekend, with Rovers last playing against Swindon Town in the Bristol Street Motors on Tuesday 8 October, losing 4-0 to the Robins.
However, the Pirates will look to continue their good league form in the third tier, beating Charlton Athletic and Burton Albion to start October.
Huddersfield are in ninth position in League One but are only two points ahead of the Gas after collecting five wins and five defeats from their opening ten matches.
Taylor believes it was good for the players and staff to get some time away but insisted that the team will be looking to continue their momentum against a strong Terriers team.
TIME AWAY
"It was a good few days away from the training ground and probably away from each other as well," he said. "It was a bit of a slog at the start of the season with a lot of games in quick succession on the back of pre-season and so many new faces as well.
"So, it was a good opportunity for players and staff alike to spend some much-needed family time with their loved ones. They came back on Monday really fresh and in a good position physically as well, so I’ve been pleased with the work this week."
BUILDING MOMENTUM
"Building momentum is certainly what we’re looking for going into a three-game week," said Taylor. "It’s a fantastic opportunity to pick up points. There are some tough tests, some good games, great opposition and some good stadiums to go and play football.
"It’s what the league is all about this season, and we go into it, apart from the Swindon Cup game, in a good place on the back of Burton and Charlton, respectively.
"I’m certainly looking forward to this weekend. I just want the lads to put out a performance which is resounding in terms of their training this week. They have been so bright and so sharp. We need to maintain that regardless of the weekend."
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN PREVIEW
"They're as tough of a test as you get at this level," said the manager. "A lot of those players they had last season at Championship level, and they’ve obviously signed some quality players. There are some that we know very well as well.
"They started the season fantastically well and probably have experienced the league at its full force. They had lost four on the bounce, which we did as well, and if a team like Huddersfield can do that, it probably shows the strength of the league and opposition.
"But they bounced back with a league and a cup win over Barnsley in the last couple of games with a couple of clean sheets and goals. They are back where they need to be, and it’s a fantastic place to go and play football."
BACK IN ACTION
"If you work in football, it never leaves you," he said. "You spend your time doing other things, but we’ve certainly had a focus on Huddersfield as soon as the Swindon game was out of the way.
"There was a clear focus in relation to that and where players are physically and mentally as much as anything. But you can’t always have breaks in the season where you give them a couple of days off. We’ve got to still be fresh even when the games come thick and fast, and we’ve got a brutal week coming up."
INJURY NEWS
"Gatlin O’Donkor’s scan results on the Wednesday after the Swindon game were not ideal," said Taylor. "He has picked up an injury there, and for a player as explosive and as quick as Gatlin is, it’ll keep him out for a period.
"So, we’ll be without him moving forward, but the rest of the group seems to be in a relatively strong position. Michael Forbes played 90 minutes away on international duty on Tuesday night but has come back and was still fit enough and ready to train.
"Apart from a little bit of illness at the start of the week, we seem to be in a good place. It will be interesting to see how we recover on Sunday and Monday, and that will always have a view to what we can do on Tuesday."
