Bristol Rovers make winning start to pre-season with Darrell Clarke impressed by players’ attitude

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Daniel Wales looks at Bristol Rovers’ start to pre-season with Head Coach Darrell Clarke impressed by his players so far.

Transcript

00:01Now for Bristol Rovers,

00:02obviously beginning a new era in League Two.

00:05They want to make sure they bounce back

00:06at the first time of asking.

00:08Daryl Clark's the man they believe can do so.

00:11Obviously coming back to the club as well.

00:13He had a fantastic bond, as we've mentioned before,

00:16when he was here last and obviously got them promoted as well.

00:19It was fantastic during that spell.

00:21He's since gone away.

00:22He's got other sides promoted.

00:23He's got a side you wouldn't have thought were to be promoted.

00:26And he's got them up as well.

00:28So he has some fantastic EFL experience,

00:31fantastic promotion experience as well.

00:34So yeah, Daryl Clark is clearly the man

00:36to be taking this side forward.

00:39They've played their first pre-season friendly.

00:42Dan, our Bristol correspondent.

00:44Dan, what's the thoughts after this friendly?

00:46What are Daryl Clark's feelings and thoughts

00:49going into the new season?

00:51Obviously, you know, pre-season can only show you so much.

00:54But it is sort of a bit of a huge reset at the club.

00:57And he wants to make sure that, you know,

00:59some positive signs are there to be seen.

01:02So what can you tell us following this

01:04and Daryl Clark's thoughts as well

01:06on how things are going ahead of this new campaign?

01:08Because it's certainly one that they need to hit the ground running with.

01:12And they need to certainly make sure

01:14they're near the top of League 2

01:15because it's a slippery slope

01:17if you are not competing in that division.

01:20So yeah, Dan, what can you tell us

01:23about where they are at the moment,

01:24where Daryl Clark is following this first sort of friendly

01:27and how positive he is ahead of this new season?

01:32Well, Charles, Daryl Clark was certainly very upbeat

01:35following Bristol Rovers' first win in pre-season

01:39in their first match away at Chippenham Town.

01:41The gas ran out as 2-1 winners.

01:43And he said that the attitude in pre-season so far

01:45has been very good and he's been impressed with it.

01:47He said, obviously, it's going to be hard work

01:50and Bristol Rovers have to get things right now

01:53when they can afford to

01:55to make sure that they're ready

01:56for when the season does get underway in mid-August.

01:59Obviously, at the moment,

02:01wins in pre-season are slightly immaterial.

02:05A win is good and a win is always a win

02:07but it's not about that, I think, at the moment.

02:09I think Daryl Clark understands that

02:11and recognises that.

02:12He knows that the most important thing

02:14is understanding and getting his players

02:16to play how he wants them to play

02:18with, of course, his coaching staff as well.

02:21So that's what's more important,

02:23understanding their style, their patterns of play

02:25and developing and gelling as a team

02:27as opposed to winning matches

02:29which obviously don't actually count for anything.

02:31Yes, it's nice to win, we all know that,

02:33but let's be honest, the pre-season games

02:35don't count towards any points

02:36in League 2 next season.

02:38But the games in League 2,

02:40they do count for the points

02:42that Bristol Rovers want to achieve

02:43and to win those points,

02:45they'll have to make sure that they're ready

02:46for when they do eventually get

02:48their season underway next month.

02:50So, overall, it's a good start to pre-season

02:53and I think what is important

02:54is that, as Clark mentioned,

02:55the attitude has been good from his players.

02:57Obviously, he's brought a lot of new faces

02:59into the club following the relegation

03:01last season.

03:02So, you did worry that perhaps

03:04they would take time to gel at the club,

03:06but it would seem that no,

03:07things are going all right so far.

03:09Obviously, we haven't had a full test

03:11of what they're capable of yet

03:13in pre-season,

03:14but after just one game

03:16to say that the attitude's already good,

03:18that's good to start.

03:19I mean, obviously, you'd want that anyway,

03:21but sometimes when players come in,

03:23egos can clash

03:24and things never always work out

03:26how you perhaps expect them to.

03:27So, for things to be good straight away

03:30is a good sign for Bristol Rovers.

03:32So, now let's hear from Darrell Clark himself,

03:34who spoke after that win against Chippenham

03:37to hear exactly what he thought

03:39following the victory

03:40and his thoughts on pre-season so far

03:43for the gas.

03:46Listen, the game was very bitty for me.

03:48There's always good bits

03:50and lots of things to work on

03:52in these sort of games,

03:54but, you know,

03:56we didn't start particularly well

03:58the first 10 minutes

03:59and then we got a foothold in the game.

04:01Probably should have scored 2-3

04:02before half-time.

04:03They put a few good blocks in.

04:05Second half's very much a mixed-match team,

04:08but the pleasing thing for me,

04:10got through the period,

04:11no injuries.

04:12That's really important.

04:13The four lads have played 30 minutes.

04:14They've missed a little bit of pre-season.

04:16Promise has done a little bit of pre-season,

04:18but obviously missed a lot of times last year.

04:20So, time last season.

04:21So, we had to protect them a little bit

04:22on a difficult surface as well.

04:24So, yeah, good workout.

04:26Yeah, first pre-season game.

04:27Is it about building the minutes,

04:28building the fitness

04:29and building the cohesion as well?

04:30It is.

04:31It is and getting those connections,

04:32but it was always going to be

04:33a little bit bitty today

04:34with the changes we made.

04:36But, listen,

04:36it's always nice to win a game,

04:38but it's pre-season

04:39and the work the boys have put in

04:41over the last 9-10 days

04:43has been very good.

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