Cheltenham Town head to The Memorial Ground tomorrow where they face Bristol Rovers in Sky Bet League One. It’ll be Rover’s 140th-anniversary match with a new man in charge the former Robins captain Matt Taylor.
Darrell Clarke has very fond memories at Bristol Rovers, He guided them to back-to-back promotions in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
“It’s always nice to go back to an old club, I had a great time there with great friends. But I’m going back to try and win a game of football. Gas fans know me, they know how I am, We want to pick up the points against a team who should be challenging in the top six”.
Despite it being an exciting game due to the anniversary and Matt Taylor’s first game in charge, Clarke insists that
“We have to take emotions out of the game, at the end of the day it’s a game of football, and there are three points up for grabs. Of course, I’m expecting a good atmosphere, but it’s not about them, it’s about us, it’s about how we approach the game”
😍 The 140th anniversary shirt will be worn against Cheltenham on Saturday.
— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) December 6, 2023
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On December 1st Bristol Rovers appointed former Cheltenham Town captain Matt Taylor as their new man in charge on a three and a half year contract.
✍️ Matt Taylor announced as Bristol Rovers Manager.
— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) December 1, 2023
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“Matty’s a great lad, I’ve come up against him quite a few times when he was at Exeter. He will have them (Rovers) organised. On paper they have a very good squad, underachieving a little and the minute”.
“It’s always hard to know what to expect when a new manager comes in, he’s got his own ways and his own ideas. We have to be mindful of that but the focus has to be on us and our performance, proving individually and collectively that as a group”.
As we head into the Christmas and New Year period it’s the start of 6 games over 23 days, It’s a key period for all teams, Clarke emphasised the importance of this period for a team like Cheltenham in their position.
“It’s a vital period for ourselves, a lot of games coming up, there’s a lot of points up for grabs. We have to make sure we’re right tuned, fit, and available for these games coming in such quick succession”.
After a very poor start to the season, Clarke has brought light back into the club, there’s hope and the fans are optimistic.
“We are under no illusions for the task ahead, the first quarter of the season was a disaster, the second quarter, better, but we need to get a lot better. We’re starting to claw points back, we need to use these quick succession games to try and get as many points on the board.”
“It’s great that there’s optimism and we appreciate all the support we are getting but there’s lots of work to be done at this football club, I said that when I joined and I still say it now, there’s levels that I want us to get to as a club, to give us the best chance of survival in League One. There’s still a lot of work to do, but in the short term it’s about getting as many points as we possibly can”.
“I’ve got great backroom staff, working very hard for the football club, that’s what we need if we want to keep picking up results”.
