Matt Taylor insisted that Wycombe Wanderers will be a difficult test before they meet with the Chairboys in Sky Bet League One on Saturday.
The Gas have lost their last three outings in the third tier but will certainly be able to take something from the second-half performance against Peterborough United.
Rovers were 3-0 down against the Posh heading into the final twenty minutes. However, two quick goals off the bench from Luke McCormick and Gatlin O’Donkor got the Pirates back into the game, but Peterborough survived the final stages to claim all three points.
Taylor’s men will now look to make it three wins in four league outings at The Memorial Stadium to end September positively. The manager spoke about the reaction this week, the behind-closed-doors match, injury news and the upcoming game against Wycombe.
REACTION THIS WEEK
"There’s been a reaction to the result," he said. "It would be great if we could carry on the last 30 minutes of the Peterborough game. As always, you dissect it, digest it and put certain moments into context.
"We know we have to be a lot better than we were for large parts at the weekend, but there was also a version of us that we all really liked, and we want that to continue.
"We’ve been quite clear with our messages this week and kept it as simple as we possibly can. There’s a collective understanding that we need to get back to a certain type of team."
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS MATCH
"It was a good game," said Taylor. "We’re grateful to Cheltenham Town for playing that game and playing a strong enough team to make it competitive. It was a good run for a couple of players and minutes in the bank.
"Some came back after not getting enough game time, so it was a competitive game and a level score to finish. But some good goals and good attacking play."
INJURY NEWS
"Micah Anthony damaged his shoulder but won’t be out for too long," said the boss. "The rest of the group are in a pretty good position apart from Chris Martin and Joel Senior with long-term injuries. They are getting closer and closer.
"Senior was out on the grass in a pair of boots for the first time today. It’s great to see him out and about today and not in the gym. I’m looking forward to the moment when Martin gets out of the swimming pool and can walk and move in a better condition."
WYCOMBE WANDERERS PREVIEW
"It’s a fantastic challenge," he said. "Traditionally, Wycombe are such a strong team at this level in all different ways. Physicality is one of them, but they’ve added some real quality to their squad.
"It’s a deep, strong squad with lots of options. They made eight changes on Tuesday night and more than ran Aston Villa close in the Carabao Cup.
"We can’t speak about the opposition too much and at length because we’ve got too much to concentrate in-house. That’s to perform more like the team that we almost fell in love with at the start of the season. We want to get back to that and get us going in the right direction."
FANS AT THE MEMORIAL STADIUM
"My message to the players is that we are in control of the support from the fans by the way we play," said Taylor. "If fans aren’t happy it's because they don’t like what they see. We’re in control of their feelings, emotions and voice levels.
"Whether it’s positive or negative, we have to make sure it’s going in the right direction for our benefit.
"That’s our outlook and intent towards the game. It’s our aggressiveness, physicality, running statistics, connection and structure. Everything that you can imagine a positive performance needs, we have to put that out there.
"Regardless of the opposition, the way we start this weekend is key."
