Matt Taylor was delighted with his ‘magnificent’ Bristol Rovers team after the Gas beat Mansfield Town 1-0 in Sky Bet League One.
The Pirates collected their second away win of the campaign thanks to Luke McCormick’s second-half goal, with the midfielder getting onto Isaac Hutchinson’s cutback to score from close range.
Rovers are now unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions, previously beating Weston-super-Mare in the Emirates FA Cup before back-to-back draws in the third tier against Lincoln City and Crawley Town in a trio of fixtures at The Memorial Stadium.
Taylor was full of praise for his team and their defensive efforts and was delighted with the away support at the One Call Stadium.
We were magnificent...
"It was magnificent," said Taylor. "We were strong and solid throughout, especially in the first half. We just needed to improve our ball use, and we did that in the second half for a 20-minute period and got our goal.
"Then we didn’t hang on in any way. I know the end was the end, but we were magnificent. There were some man-mountain performances across the pitch, not just in the centre-halves and goalkeepers, but across the pitch.
"I’m delighted for that group of players and the fans because we haven’t quite been good enough away from home this season, but we’re moving in the right direction.
"Hopefully, this is the start of something a little bit more in terms of improvement."
There was no weakness in there, and there were no weak links...
"Heart and desire has to be us," he said. "Bristol Rovers as a football club, I keep valuing and talking about it, that’s our minimum. That’s our start, and that’s our end.
"Everything else in between will be the layers of improvement with the ball. We were tough today, and it looked like the spine of the team knew the game. There was no weakness in there, and there were no weak links.
"Away from home, we have to be like that, and we have to be like that at home as well. I’m really pleased, and the fans appreciated that. We still had enough of a threat about us to work the opposition goal."
I would love a second goal for my heart as much as anything else...
"All that effort we were putting in, we need more to show with the ball," said the manager. "The space was there in the first half. We just didn’t quite capitalise or execute it in those moments. We did it three or four times in quick succession in the second period and got our goal in the second half off the back of it.
"It just released us a little bit, then we started to use the ball a little bit better. I would love a second goal for my heart as much as anything else, just to give us a bit more comfort in the game.
"But then a 1-0 away from home is always a nice scoreline."
Today was massive...
"Today was massive," he said. "Performances generally have been getting better. Players, individual performances within it, units and partnerships, are growing and growing and growing.
"But we need to win games of football, and I think this team is capable of that. I think we’re capable of scoring more goals and creating more chances. But there’s a confidence and pressure aspect which is always there if you don’t do that often enough, which is why today is absolutely huge. Now, the challenge is, can we back it up on Tuesday?"
The fans are massive...
"The fans are massive," said Taylor. "When the snow comes, the weather has been the way it is and Mansfield away, with their start to the season, not many would have trusted that journey today.
"So, for those who did, I’m really grateful. I know the players appreciated the fans today. We were united as a group and as a Club. We need to continue that."
