Ben Close is not getting carried away with defeat to Walsall as he insists there is still a long way to go of the 2022/23 Sky Bet League Two season.
Despite playing the better football and having most of the possession throughout the game, Rovers were beaten by Walsall after two second-half goals from Tom Knowles and Danny Johnson.
Close partnered captain Adam Clayton in midfield until Rovers' number 33 was replaced by Kyle Hurst at 72 minutes.
On areas of improvement:
“It was a disappointing result even though I thought we played well in the first-half right until we got into the final third. That is something we will work on collectively as a team at being better at.
“We competed well for large parts of the game and produced some really good moves to put us into the final third. But to concede on the counter where three or four things went wrong we have to react better in those situations.”
On being back playing regular football:
“I am happy with the game time I have been getting recently after such a long spell out with injury.
“I am happy to be back playing football, especially under Danny Schofield, the football is really enjoyable as he’s an excellent modern coach.
“We also have a good group of players that make it enjoyable to come into work every day and we all work so well together.”
On Rovers’ current form:
“In football, there are more highs than lows and the highs are that good which is why we’re in football as it makes everything worthwhile. But to enjoy the highs, you must endure the lows.
“Our objective is to work hard to put the result right heading to Newport next week. We’ll look at where we’ve gone wrong on Friday night over the next few days.
“We’re mid-table in League Two which is a fair reflection of how we’ve been this season so far. We have a squad capable of doing more than that but we’re not even halfway through the season yet so there’s a long way to go.
“We’re in a transition period and have a new head coach and a new way of playing that takes time to implement.
“Once Danny’s ideas and philosophy come into full swing, I think it will be great for the long-term stability of the club.
“We’re building something here and hopefully that will be seen over the next few years.”