In his pregame news conference at The Quarters, Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor gave a preview of his team’s matchup against promotion-chasing Bolton Wanderers. Aaron Collins, a former star player, will be making his Memorial Stadium debut after leaving the Gas in January.
Taylor stated, “He (Collins) is a member of a very strong attacking group right through the team.” “The goals he scored last weekend, the performances he has been a part of, and the form he has recently shown.” It’s wonderful to see him succeeding. He left our team in order to compete at the highest level of the league, get out of the league, and play championship football, so I truly hope he does well in relation to that,” he added.
“There’s always a question about going back to a former team, and this weekend we’ll be able to answer it in terms of how he plays and how we play. It won’t be about Aaron Collins, though; it will be about two teams competing.” We still have the goal of finishing in the top two, if not through the play-offs, and we have a great opportunity to establish our vision for the home game.”
In December, the Gas defeated Bolton 2-1 at the Toughsheet Community Stadium after goals from Antony Evans and John Marquis in the first half. We were able to partially erase them because, as Taylor put it, “you can always take bits and pieces. One thing is that they are consistent in terms of the way they build, the way they play, the rhythm, and their style.” “That day, everything went our way. We played brilliantly, no doubt about it, but we were up against 10 men for extended stretches. Still, we managed to score a few goals and looked quite dangerous when we counterattacked.
“Especially at home, we cannot sit back, absorb pressure, and play on the counterattack. We need to make a slight effort to control the running and the game’s style a little bit more than we have in the past. This is a game where there should be very little in the way of preparation; the motivation is strong enough to defeat a top team at this level, he continued. It will be interesting because they have quality all over the pitch, they reinforce certain positions, and there is competition throughout their squad.
With just six games to go until the end of the season, the 42-year-old valiantly called, in a way of motivating his side to give their all in the final push. “We have got some great fixtures,” said Taylor. “Some big names, the Boltons, the Readings, the Wigans of the world, Peterborough, these are big names and teams towards the top. I know Wigan have had their struggles this season, but every game you want to be fully engaged in and fully motivated for.”
