Tisdale hoping Rovers can keep winning momentum going
PAUL Tisdale will be looking for his Bristol Rovers side to cap an excellent week with a League One victory against Plymouth Argyle at the Memorial Stadium tomorrow.
Tisdale kick-started his own reign as Rovers boss with a 4-2 league success at AFC Wimbledon last Saturday and Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Leyton Orient in the EFL Trophy.
Tisdale said: “Winning games build momentum and we had three or four players who didn’t play on Saturday get a game at Leyton Orient who showed me what they can do and who got a bit of match fitness for them to get closer to the first team.”
Forward Sam Nicholson, who scored twice against AFC Wimbledon, holding midfielder Josh Grant and attacking midfielder Erhun Oztumer were among those rested against Leyton Orient and all three are likely to return against Plymouth.
Tisdale said: “I didn’t want to change the whole side, but I wanted to give two or three players a rest.
“Oztumer wasn’t eligible to play, so I couldn’t select him, and there were other players I wanted to see.
“It is invaluable for me to see the players play. I need to see as many players play between now and January so I can make decisions, because I’m the one who’s got to make decisions about players going out on loan, staying with us or being part of the squad.”
Tisdale said he expects Plymouth to adopt an attacking approach to tomorrow’s game.
He said: “Ryan Lowe (Plymouth’s manager) was at Bury a couple of years ago and I came across his teams a few times, they played a lot of attacking football.
“He was a centre-forward, so he is going to like his team to be providing goals for the centre-forwards, and it comes back to the tone and the personality.
“I will be surprised if they are not an attacking unit wanting to score goals. They have got some talented players in there. Every team we should respect, but not too much.
“I saw them against Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago and they seemed to play a lot down their left? I think you find these things when you dig into it and trends you can capitalise on, or try to stop.
“All of those things are things we have discussed, but most teams have more than one way of scoring and we have got to be careful of all of it.”
Plymouth have “a fully-fit squad” for tomorrow’s game at the Memorial Stadium, according to manager Lowe.
That does not include club captain, and former Rovers defender, Gary Sawyer, though. He remains a long-term absentee after an ankle operation and will probably not return to action until January.
Argyle will also be without their midfield playmaker Danny Mayor. He must serve a one-game suspension after being sent off for a second bookable offence in the 2-1 defeat by Ipswich at Home Park last Saturday.
Mayor returned to the team against Ipswich after missing a couple of matches due to illness. Ben Reeves had deputised for him in the 2-0 FA Cup second round win against Lincoln City and the 4-0 league defeat by Rochdale.
Reeves looks most likely to again take over from Mayor in midfield for the clash with Rovers, although Lowe does other options open to him. Lowe said: “Reevesy was probably hard done by, coming out of the team against Ipswich, but it is what it is.
“We have got a squad of people who can step in, as Reevesy did when Dan wasn’t well and did a fantastic job.
“He was probably upset that he didn’t play against Ipswich, but that’s my call. I’m the manager, I have to make those decisions.”