Taylor Moore insisted that he was disappointed and frustrated after Bristol Rovers fell to a 2-0 defeat to Blackpool in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas started the day unbeaten in their previous four games in all competitions and had not lost at The Memorial Stadium since September. However, the Tangerines claimed maximum points after goals from Dom Ballard and Lee Evans either side of half-time.
The defeat leaves Matt Taylor’s men in 13th position in the third tier after they collected 21 points from their first 17 games. The Pirates will next play in the league next Tuesday away to Leyton Orient.
Reflecting on the defeat to Steve Bruce’s side, Moore was unhappy with the performance and stated that his side did not deserve anything out of the contest.
“I am disappointed and frustrated,” said the defender. “We had a little bit of belief in ourselves tonight going into the game off the back of good draws and the win away to Mansfield, with a really good team spirit.
“I think we let ourselves down tonight in many ways. Conceding off a set-piece is obviously a bit unlike us at the moment. We’ve worked so hard on making those right, so to concede a goal and go 1-0 down like that is disappointing. Then, the penalty in the second half is very harsh, but these are things that happen in football.
“We just lacked that belief in ourselves after the second goal went in to actually come back and make a real game of it. Unfortunately, we probably made Blackpool look better than they are tonight, and we didn’t really deserve to come away with anything from the game.”
Rovers impressed just four days prior away to Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium, with Luke McCormick scoring the only goal just after the break to help his team to a 1-0 triumph against the playoff contenders.
It was an outing that showed plenty of courage and determination, with manager Taylor sticking with the majority of the team that played the first 84 minutes against the Stags. He only made one change, giving Bryant Bilongo a start at left-back instead of Clinton Mola, but the Gas could not replicate the same result.
Despite there only being a short break between the two fixtures, Moore was quick to suggest that there should be no excuses.
“There’s no excuse, as we’re professional athletes,” he said. “We’re used to these types of situations. Blackpool played away at Bolton on the weekend, and they’ve had to travel down as well, so there’s no excuses.
“The quality we had on the pitch tonight, whether that be players starting or coming on, should be able to put in a better performance than what we did. As players, we’re accountable.”
The Pirates are back in action on Saturday and will travel up to Barnsley for the second time already this season, this time facing the Tykes in the second round of the Emirates FA Cup.
Moore called on his side to bounce back from their defeat in the league, stating the importance of a good showing in the FA Cup.
“As athletes and footballers, you look at tonight's performance, and it’s a defeat,” said Moore. “I don’t like losing. Nobody likes losing, but you’ve got the opportunity to put it right in three or four days when we go up and play against Barnsley.
“We all know how magical and special the FA Cup is. It might give the opportunity to some of the lads who haven’t started in recent games to get a game and show the manager and staff their qualities, which we know they have.
“It’s a massive opportunity to get into the hat for the third round for the fans. I have never had one in my career, but we really want that big day out and that big team, whether that’s home or away. That would be fantastic.”
