Western Daily Press (Saturday)
LOOKING AHEAD TO TODAY’S LEAGUE ACTION
BRISTOL Rovers boss Darrell Clarke had his players in early yesterday morning as they prepared to travel north ahead of this afternoon’s League One clash at high-flying Barnsley.
The Pirates boss held his pre-game press briefing at 8.30am in order to travel north and use Rotherham’s training facilities in the afternoon.
Clarke said: “We are ready to go, we are going to train at Rotherham, so I would like to thank them for letting us use their training pitches. We will get there nice and early and have a good session up there. And then I obviously look forward to tomorrow’s game.
“We know it is going to be one of the toughest games in the division on paper, but nothing is won or lost on paper.
“Barnsley are one of the fancied teams to bounce straight back to the Championship.
“I think certainly the power of the squads that have come down from the Championship now, the gulf is pretty big from League One and I think it is getting bigger.
“When teams have come down they have obviously been pretty strong, and have a depth of players who have played in the Championship, so it is obviously a tough game, but certainly a game I think we can go up there and win. We will have a game-plan and try to build on the win from Tuesday night.”
Rovers ended a long, goalless run in League One with their 2-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon in midweek, while Barnsley have actually lost their last two, so an away win might not be so unlikely.
Clarke added: “I ain’t going to be getting excited about a scruffy win on a Tuesday night that is for sure, but what I am pleased with is the commitment of the players.
“I thought there were a lot of people putting their bodies on the line. You see Tony Craig with a massive gash over his eye, he got smashed in the game previously, but he was putting everything in for the shirt and that epitomises what he is about.”