Matt Taylor was disappointed after Bristol Rovers’ 2-0 loss to Blackpool in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas were unbeaten in their previous four games in all competitions heading into the clash with the Tangerines at but conceded either side of half-time to lose at The Memorial Stadium for the first time since September.
Dom Ballard bundled in Elliot Embleton’s free-kick to give the visitors the lead before Lee Evans powered his penalty into the top-left corner to ensure his side left with all three points.
Taylor reflected on the defeat to Blackpool and stated his side needs to improve their level of performance when they travel to Barnsley in the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday.
In the first half, I thought we started the game well again...
“In the first half, I thought we started the game well again,” he said. “There were some bright moments with no real creation. We’ve not made their goalkeeper work in that first half or their centre-halves underneath the bar.
“We just have to find a way of when we are looking like an OK team moving forward that we really create, make the most of it and at least sustain it for a period of time. We always add set pieces to that.
“The goal was a strange goal. A bit of play down our left-hand side, whether it was a foul or not I don’t know and then we didn’t quite get in line with the ball that was only going to go in one place.
“We don’t know if it’s an own goal or a goal from a Blackpool player. It was all of a sudden in the back of our net. We started the second half pretty well, then a missed clearance ricocheted in the middle of the pitch. We get a block and a save and then the penalty against us.”
I thought we went after the second goal...
“After the first goal, we didn’t react too badly and started the second half pretty well,” said Taylor. “I thought we went after the second goal, I have to be honest. The distances on the pitch, the middle of the pitch, the ease Blackpool moved the ball, we went a little bit in terms of our movement, our strength and certainly our speed.
“Then you’re looking for solutions to find a way to improve that aspect, even before you can start to think about attacking it. We tried to do that, and we did improve towards the last 15 minutes of the game, but they got bodies behind the ball, and we certainly didn’t quite create what we wanted to.”
It felt like the pitch was too big for us tonight...
“It felt like the pitch was too big for us tonight,” said the manager. “It didn’t feel like the ball went through us, which is strange considering the shape we’re playing and the personnel we’ve got. I think we’re capable of more.
“You do take into account what the weekend brought and the big effort from that, but that’s the nature of this league, and we have to find a way of still getting energy in the right areas on a Tuesday night after a big effort at the weekend.”
It’s a big trip and a tough trip to Barnsley...
“It’s a big trip and a tough trip to Barnsley,” he said. “It’s a tough place to go. We have to play better than we did tonight and take heart and confidence from our last away trip.
“It’s a different competition, so we might see some different faces. Judging by tonight, we might need to freshen the team up and find a way of getting a bit more energy into the starting lineup and also making certain moments in the game count.”
