Football Little tells the fans: Stay patient and the results will come
Bristol Rovers defender Mark Little
MARK Little has urged Bristol Rovers fans to stay patient after the Gas fell to their first defeat of the new League One season.
Rovers were beaten 2-0 by Ipswich Town at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday, and experienced defender Little believes they showed Ipswich too much respect.
The game was deadlocked for 80 minutes as both sides struggled to create chances, but Max Ehmer’s own goal broke the stalemate and Jon Nolan added a superb second in the last of the 90 minutes.
“I don’t feel we deserved that,” said Little. “People who haven’t watched it will think we lost 3-0 to them and two weeks later we lost 2-0 to them in similar fashion, but I think it was two completely different games.
“I’m not going to stand here and say we deserved three points, but we didn’t deserve to lose.”
Pressure is growing on Rovers boss Ben Garner, who has just two league wins since taking over last December.
But Little is certain Rovers are on the right path and has requested supporters keep the faith while this new-look side experiences some growing pains.
“I wish you guys could see us in training,” the 32-year-old continued. “It doesn’t count in training, but what the gaffer’s got us doing, the formations and the way we’re playing, it looks really, really good.
“It only shows for short spells in the game, but we need to be doing that for 90 minutes to get to where we want to be. That is going to take a bit of time, but I know how quickly leagues go. We need to be getting results ASAP.
“It is a young team, and I just said in the dressing room we need to understand how good we are and not go within yourself when we play these good teams. They (Ipswich) are good players and they going to know how to counter that, but that is not to forget what we are good at as well, which is getting on the ball and passing.
“And we can do it, because we do it every single day in training. It’s just about getting it on this pitch now. It can’t be spells, we’ve got to be dominant for a good time in the game, which we’re trying to do.
“I will ask the fans for patience because there is definitely something brewing here. It’s a completely different look and we are doing the right things, I believe.”
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I will ask the fans for patience because there is definitely something brewing here. It’s a completely different look and we are doing the right things, I believe