Bristol Rovers head coach Inigo Calderon has claimed his side are ‘a League Two team’ after they fell into the League One relegation places following a defeat against Exeter City.
The 43-year-old was named as Matt Taylor’s successor on Boxing Day and initial signs looked promising. Rovers embarked on a great run of form throughout January and February, recording four wins and a draw from seven outings. However, they’ve won just two of their last 12 to fall down the table.
This has seen the Pirates become embroiled in a relegation battle, thanks in part to Burton Albion’s recent excellent form. They entered yesterday’s game on the run of five successive defeats, although still three points above the Brewers. Five became six though as Exeter City left the Memorial Ground with a 2-1 victory, whilst Burton beat Huddersfield 3-0 to move out of the bottom four at Rovers’ expense.
Calderon Appears To Accept Fate
Things don’t get any easier for the Gas on Good Friday. They travel across the Welsh border to face promotion chasing Wrexham, and with only four games remaining, they need to start picking up points.
Calderon doesn’t believe his team can recover though, stating that Rovers are ‘a League Two team’. Speaking after the defeat against Exeter, he said:
“I think everybody realises now, I don’t know if they knew before, but it’s quite obvious now at this moment we are a League Two team, a League Two club.
“It was good to have this chat to say everything to the face of everyone, to be a man in front of everyone, because we have to be strong enough to want to go out from this situation.”
Following the trip to Wrexham, Bristol Rovers finish their campaign with two home games against Stevenage and Reading before their final day outing at Blackpool.
Writer’s View
Bristol Rovers are a team in freefall at the moment and Calderon knows it. Stating publicly that they are a team who look destined for League Two is a bold decision, but he will be hoping that it gives his players a bit of a kick ahead of their remaining four games. Burton are well versed at pulling themselves out of trouble right at the death and it appears as if they are on the verge of doing it again. As for Rovers, it’s difficult to see where they will pick up any points in their current form.
