Tisdale on 2-1 Defeat to Rovers “it is leaving a sour taste”

Despite the recent run of results, Exeter fans would have travelled to the Memorial Ground with some optimism given the results of previous derby games this season. Indeed, with the referee’s final whistle imminent a positive result was thought to have been achieved, but a late strike by Rovers gave them all 3 points.

Having taken an lead through a luck own goal, City completely blew that advantage by a reckless tackle by Butterfield in the box to given away a certain penalty. If the Grecians could have held on their lead it might have been all very different.

Match Reports

Rovers – http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/article/exeter-match-report-2014-1287728.aspx
Exeter – http://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/match-report/index.aspx?MatchId=3632043
YouTube Highlights – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-u6Pgyc0jk
Cheggers Pics – http:///1/bristol%20rovers%20vs%20exeter%20city%20lge%20two

Quotes

Paul Tisdale on the Club website:-

We feel very disappointed about the result. At one-all, you’ve got as much chance of winning it as losing it in a game like today. We went for the win and ended up with attacking players in midfield, but it was a cruel way to lose it to a late goal.

We have to learn our lessons, and our lessons are that we got a goal and you can be at your weakest when you’ve just scored.  That was a particular fragile moment for us so I’m upset with that, and that really was the turning point for us. We had some fortune with the first goal, so to concede straight from kick-off was particularly frustrating.

We’re not quite making that extra yard or getting that strike – whatever it is to make the difference. The most part of our game is okay – the players are fresh for every game and they’re fully motivated and they put themselves about – they’re not perfect but they’re certainly determined to play well. But we need a result or two.

The players are giving everything and they’re doing better than the results we’ve had. But that counts for nothing – it’s about the results. Every now and then you’ll go through one of these runs – it’s not particularly pleasant. But there were plenty of good performances today such as Tom Nichols, Scot Bennett and Matt Grimes, and that gives us plenty of reason for optimism.

Scot Bennett on the defeat

It’s a hard blow to take, and I think some of the boys will go away tonight feeling really disappointed. But I think we need to get it out of our heads as quickly as we can so that we can concentrate on having a decent week’s training and hopefully push on and start winning some games.

Morecambe is a massive game for us, because we need to pick up some points – we need to start climbing up the table again. And we need to win at home, so hopefully we can have a good week training and then we can push on next weekend and get the three points that we thoroughly need.

And to give away the winner – it was six or seven silly mistakes, and they’ve pulled the ball back – and it’s a great finish from O’Toole to be fair, but we’ve got to do better than that. We had been the better team until then.

I know that it was a fluky goal for us, but you’ve got to have your luck sometimes. With that going in, you think that perhaps it could be our day – but 30 seconds later we let them back into the game.

Bristol Rovers manager on the win on the Rovers website