Matt Taylor was proud of his team after Bristol Rovers drew 1-1 with Lincoln City at The Memorial Stadium in Sky Bet League One.
Shaq Forde made a scoring return after coming back from suspension, winning possession back before curling his effort from distance into the bottom corner to give the Gas the lead in the first half.
However, the Pirates were denied a fifth home win in seven league outings at home when Jack Moylan directed his low strike past Josh Griffiths.
Taylor was pleased with the performance, delighted for Forde, and happy with how his team defended set-pieces.
I really liked the way we went about our work today…
“I really liked the way we went about our work today, the way we approached the game, the way we were in the game and the way we were ahead in the game,” he said. “I thought it was two good teams really going at it.
“There was rarely a moment of time and space on that pitch. When there was, our best attacking player probably scored our goal, and probably their best attacking player scored their goal.
“It felt like their goal came out of nothing. It was almost a ricochet in the middle of the park, and the feeling off the back of that was that it was going to be a negative finish to the game, but it wasn’t.
“It was two teams, so honest and responsible, going at each other. It was always going to take a moment of quality or a real mistake to allow a goalscoring situation. I’m very proud of the lads today, and I think they can see the appreciation that the fans showed.”
I’m delighted for Shaq Forde…
“He’s had a tough couple of weeks, we can’t lie,” said Taylor. “He showed inexperience at Reading and a bit of naivety, but he’s got moments of brilliance. He’s our best one-versus-one attacking player.
“People have to know that he made the tackle for the goal, won the ball back himself, then drove forward and put it in the bottom corner. It was a really classy moment from Shaq. I’m delighted for him because the stress of the last couple of weeks would have taken its toll.
“But he’s only going to get better and better for us. He’s certainly something we’ve not got. So, I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses in terms of his career with ourselves. He’s a goal threat and has scored two in limited game time thus far.
We now have to make the most of our attacking set-pieces…
“I have to praise the team for how we’ve stood up defensively to set pieces,” said the manager. “I’m not going to counteract that, but we’ve stood up to it because we had to.
“We now have to make the most of our attacking set-pieces because we had a lot of them. They are good opportunities; we’ve got delivery and people that can meet it the ball. They are doing it in their box defensively, now, we’ve got to do that in the opposition box because they are big moments.”
Credit to both teams…
“Credit to both teams,” he said. “Both teams cut off each other’s space and attacking players and defended really well. I thought Connor Taylor and James Wilson were so impressive in terms of their performances.
“If that’s our foundation, then so be it. It’s a pleasing factor, but we know that in such tight games, what is it going to come down to a moment of brilliance or a mistake? Set-pieces are huge.
“We’re at the place where we look like a threatening team without it really going in the back of the net.
“I’m immensely proud of the team and the way they went about their work from start to finish.”
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