Tom Anderson felt Rovers preparation for their trip to Sunderland was rewarded with a hard-earned point on Friday night.
Rovers battled their way to a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light in Sky Bet League One, arguably having the upper hand throughout much of the 90 minutes, and Anderson thought the way the side played showed they’d done their homework on the Black Cats.
“I thought we had a good first half and probably edged it, then they come out and clearly reacted after the break, but I felt we dug in, fought well and we got a great point out of it,” he said.
“We only played them four weeks ago and we knew how quickly they’d started last time, we were expecting it and we were more than ready for it, we worked hard, we prepared for it and I think that showed.”
Anderson was handed the Sky Sports Man of the Match award for his solid display in the Rovers back four alongside centre half partner Joe Wright as they helped Rovers to a fifth clean sheet in seven games, but the No. 4 was quick to praise a full team effort on Wearside.
“I think me and Joe had a very good game together, but it’s not just us, it’s not just the back four, it’s the whole team, the defending starts from the front and we really stuck together when it mattered,” he added.
“I think mine and Joe’s relationship has really come on recently, we’re two good lads who work well together, both on the pitch and at training too, but again, we have to make sure we’re working hard altogether to try climbing that table.
“Not every game is going to be a nice game, we have to make sure we tighten things up, it’ll be nice now to go again and work hard and make sure we back this up with a good result on Tuesday.”