Every word Matt Taylor said on Bristol Rovers' Mansfield win, 'perfect' score and midfield coach

Bristol Rovers picked up their second league win on the road this season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium on Saturday afternoon with Luke McCormick's goal early in the second half enough to secure all three points for the Gas.

They defended excellently all game in a game of few moments of real quality and got their rewards when Chris Martin threaded through Isaac Hutchinson who then produced a perfect ball across goal for McCormick to tap home at the far post.

Mansfield, as expected, cranked up the pressure looking for a way back into the contest and thought they had scored an equaliser with the final kick of the game but the whistle had already blown before the ball was bundled into the net for a hand ball.

The win is Rovers' first in League One for over a month and was certainly up there with one of the most satisfying of their six league victories to date this season.

Here is a full transcript of everything manager Matt Taylor said to local media post-match...

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Matt, great win here today. Was your heart in your mouth at the end there?

It was right at the end. That would have been a travesty if that goal counted or made a mark on that game because generally I thought we were excellent.

We weren't perfect in any way, but in terms of our intent towards the game and a few enough attacking moments for us to create enough goalscoring moments, we just needed to improve our ball use from that first half.

We were tough, we were strong, we defended our box really well. Limited a good attacking team to minimal sights at goal but we just needed to improve our ball use. It was only our instruction at half time and they did that for the first part of the second half.

And then all of a sudden we had more belief in us because we'd scored a goal. We had the lead and the game became stretched on our terms.

In that first half, there was a lot to like from a defensive point of view, I'm sure. I mean, I lost count of the amount of balls that you had to block or head away…

You have to do that. That's the game. Everyone will talk about football and what's needed in terms of certain aspects, but when you go away to Mansfield or you go away from home, any game of football, you've got to do the dirty side, the hard work, the grit and the determination. I'm so pleased it was on show because this group hasn't always had it in abundance.

They want to keep on, I want to keep on valuing it for them and influence them in terms of putting out there all opportunities. I thought there were some man mountain performances on that pitch today, especially the centre-halves.

Of course, football's about building partnerships and combinations and now you're starting to pick that same back line and then in midfield, the same, you know, Kamil and Lindsay playing together as well. Are you starting to see those bonds and communication improve?

Yeah, but I can only say yeah when we win games of football. How many times do you ask me about partnerships and bits and pieces like that? But, you know, fans will read that and say, 'yeah, but we didn't win that game of football.'

I think the last five or six games since the change of shape, the structure of the team has looked pretty much solid. We look more solid as a group, collectively. Now it's how we add quality to hurt teams. Not only that we withstand pressure, but to hurt teams more often than we have done and, like I say, with a bit more better ball use, even in the first half, we'd have created more. And then the moment in the second half was fantastic.

What did you change at half-time to affect that improvement?

As much as I can say it, it’s about them doing it and that's why the second half, and certainly the start of the second half, was massive in terms of that 15 minutes where we just made two or three clean side foot passes close together and then we were through them. And it was a really good attacking moment.

But then, you still need the end to happen for them to believe it, trust it, see it, feel it. As much as I watch half a dozen games going into a game, and I knew where the space would be in this game, the players have to trust it a bit more, they have to trust me more. We have to win more games in terms of that aspect and that's why today hopefully was a big moment for them.

What does Gatlin [O'Donkor]’s return bring you?

You saw it. Another option. Chrissy was the best he's been, again, in terms of moving in the right direction, putting himself about. Sometimes that's a lonely place away from home, let alone for us as a club.

But then being able to impact it with Gats. We've missed him, we've missed his impact and we'll see how Chrissy rests and recovers because we've got Tuesday in mind as well. So just having a slightly different profile and a slightly different option, that's massive for us.

And we talked a little bit about Promise [Omochere] before the game but just for those who hadn't heard it, obviously he's broken his hand. What does that mean for his recovery time?

I said before the game, I don't know because the ankle injury would have still kept him out of this weekend. So I honestly don't know. Yeah, we'll assess the ankle on a daily basis, but then if you break a bone anywhere, it's minimum four weeks.

With it being a hand and the part of the hand that is, we could maybe splint and assess it in a couple of weeks time. But I don't expect to see Promise in available capacity for the next couple of weeks at least.

So, truth of the matter is, we've been a little bit unsure for the last couple of weeks and then there's been a crack in his hand, unforeseen in terms of that. So yeah, it's certainly ruled him out for a period of time.

I just wanted to ask you one question about what happened off the field yesterday. Obviously Wael Al Qadi said that he's selling his shares. Does his departure affect you in any way or have you not had much dealing with him anyway?

From my dealings with Wael, fantastic guy. Bristol Rovers through and through. Done an awful lot for this football club. Spent an awful lot of money, put an awful lot of money into this football club.

I knew of him and about him and come into contact with him at my time at Exeter being relatively local and he was a big part of me coming into this football club.

I don't know, is the answer to your question in terms of the bigger picture. I honestly don't know. As long as the club keeps moving in the right direction, I think Wael would want that, the current ownership want that, the fans want that, we all want that but results are what the manager's job is judged on so that was a big win today.

Where do you rank that performance from Isaac in terms of his best in a Rovers shirt?

Look, second half I thought he was excellent. First half, I still want more from him. He's getting better and better. There's so many others, in terms of within the group, who've had moments where we think there's more to come. Now he's starting to show it.

I don't think he's put the complete game together, as yet. But, like everyone else, he'll take an awful lot of heart from that second half performance. Yeah, he was the main threat in those moments alongside Shaq and Macca and Chrissy’s platform.

So, I'm delighted for Isaac because he's been through the adversity of not being selected, not being in the squad. He was a big signing and a new signing and the expectation hits you like the game does. And when the game's not quite there and sometimes it hits you. The expectation and the feeling, the pressure of it hurts more than actually, Not playing. So it's great that he's withstood that, trained properly, stuck to his guns and he's coming back now in a good shape.

And there could be suggestion that Kamil [Conteh]'s maybe going under the radar a little bit with his performances of late. What are you seeing from him that you're pleased with and what more do you want to see?

Well, I think Jamie's having an influence on him. So I think with the right bodies around him, I think he's going to get better.

He's another young player. We kind of took him for granted a bit last season in terms of where he'd come from. National League level for half a season, League Two for half a season and then with us and it's almost thrown into the deep end. So, you know, there will still be a bit of inconsistency with Kamil but he's got a power in there which we like and I think today he showed the balance of trust when he can drive forward and Jamie can hold and Jamie can drive forward and Kamil can hold.

So, good options. Good that that group in the middle of the pitch with Willo [James Wilson], Connor [Taylor], Jamie [Lindsay] and Kamil has been solid and given us a platform to play football.

You say that with Jamie, I assume it's not just the football side, it's the shouting and the communication?

Yeah. He's not loud, Jamie, but he kind of plays loud, if that makes sense? He's always in the right position. He generally knows the game. A lot of our players are inexperienced to a point where they don't know the game often enough in terms of where to be or where the ball is going to land or when to travel or just bits and pieces within it.

So any experience around the younger ones we can get will help them and actually, I won't be coaching Kamil. Jamie will be. Wardy will be. Willo behind him. Chrissy in front of him. They'll be his best influence in terms of what he needs for his game to go to the next level.

Is there almost an extra degree of satisfaction when you've been able to hold on 1-0, done the nitty gritty, done really well defensively to hold on?

Yeah, but I'd love a second goal. Jesus, I'd love a second goal because we've had it in the past few weeks. I have to talk about it the better structure of the team in the last five or six games where that second goal would have made it a win.

So great we scored the goal and fantastic we feel good about ourselves then get the ball back and do it again. Make it two, make it three. Do a little bit more of a feel good factor in terms of a win.

But 1-0 away from home is a perfect scoreline but in terms of my heart and brain, and I suppose the same for everyone else associated with Bristol Rovers, I'd love a second goal to go in.

A perfect scoreline but, of course, now it's going to be all about backing it up on Tuesday night right?

Yep. The lads have taken the mick out of me there because we're in on Sunday, but everything about tomorrow will be recovering, getting ready for Tuesday because if we can find a way to, not match that performance, but bring another level of performance again at home to Blackpool, that's a serious game of football and another opportunity.

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