Steve Evans hails ‘heart and desire’ of Bristol Rovers’ players

Bristol Rovers manager Steve Evans hailed his players’ “heart and desire” after a stunning 3-1 win over in-form Grimsby at the Memorial Stadium.

The Scot praised his side after they eased their relegation worries by halting a three-match losing streak, against opponents who were out to extend a 10-match unbeaten run.

“That was a much improved performance from us and that’s because of the real heart and desire I’ve seen from the changing room,” Evans said.

“And it was a very significant win from our own point of view, when you’ve lost three straight games.

“So it was important that we bounced back and it was important that we reward our supporters, who are magical.

“We had to produce a big performance because Grimsby are a very good side who have got physicality and ability and this was much improved performance.”

Evans admitted there is a long way to go in the fight against relegation but is hoping that the win will quell the nerves.

“I could see the nervousness in the city this week when I’ve been going to the supermarket shopping and going to get fuel,” he added.

“I’m seeing Gasheads, who are saying ‘Steve it’s getting bigger and bigger in terms of how important it is’.

“But we’re not out of the woods yet with this win and there’s nothing been achieved, apart from the three points.”

Tottenham loanee Yusuf Akhamrich was the hero with an early assist to help put Rovers in command before sealing victory with a composed second-half finish as he registered his fourth goal since heading down the M4 last month.

On-loan Motherwell defender Kofi Balmer gave Rovers a perfect start when he volleyed in from 20 yards and forward Joe Quigley doubled the lead on seven minutes as he drove in a first-time shot from 15 yards.

Andy Cook scored his third goal in a week to halve the deficit on 38 minutes before Akhamrich restored the two-goal advantage on 63 minutes with an assured finish.

Mariners manager David Artell had no complaints.

“We played well for half an hour in a 100-minute game,” Artell said. “We handed them the two easiest goals they’ll probably score all season and gave a struggling team exactly the lift we’d spoken about denying them.

“We didn’t do our jobs from a free-kick and then conceded a ridiculously poor second goal – completely unlike us. If you don’t approach a game with the right mentality, you get what you deserve. This is League Two; there are no poor teams.

“In the end, we got what we deserved. We didn’t play well at all in the second half because we didn’t progress the ball.

“You can keep it across the back as much as you like, but you have to move it forward and create chances like we did in the first half. We didn’t do that and it’s bitterly disappointing.

“It’s an unexpected result at the end of a long, tough week and now we have to lick our wounds and go again.”