Managers comments

Last updated : 27 November 2005 By Bm91
Bees manager Paul Fairclough told the clubs official website:
"I am a little angry because this is a game we should have won. We gave two performances, indifference and disbelief in the first half and then a fight-back of which I have to be proud.

"We gave them two soft goals by defending very poorly and then the last 35 minutes or so were all about belief and as we hit the post twice Bristol led a charmed life.

"I have to be proud of my players for the way they dragged themselves back into the game and they know we should have won it."

Craig Hinton, Bristol Rovers defender hoped his site could build on there undeserved victory:

"I think after the last couple of games we've had, we were just happy to get the three points," Craig told bristolrovers.co.uk, "It was one of those matches we just wanted to win anyway we could, and all the lads knew how important getting the points was.

"The first hour of the game we dominated and were deservedly 2-0 up, and although they came back at us in the end, I felt it was the right result overall.

"Ahead of the match, Trolls told us to go out there and start at the right tempo and to make sure we were bright from the off. We did that and we got going on the front foot, and we had talked all week about getting the first goal and we did that.

"Barnet came back at us towards the end, and when you put four or five players up front like they did you are always going to create chances. But it was just about holding out for us and not panicking, and we knew if we carried on doing what we'd been doing we would get the three points."

Rovers are still just seven points behind the play-off pack, and Craig knows how a good run of form could make all the difference to what's been a relatively disappointing campaign so far.

"I think we felt a bit of pressure going into the game yesterday because of where we were in the table," he said, "But even though we'd lost a few matches going into it, a lot of the goals we'd conceded had been down to sloppiness or mistakes.

"It's important now that we start a run together to push on from where we are. We've got a good game to look forward to on Friday evening, and it will be in the back of everyone's mind that a win at Port Vale puts us in the hat with all the big guns. If we can win there and get back-to-back victories, it could finally set our season going."