Bristol Rovers manager Inigo Calderon admitted to seeing positives and negatives after his first home game in charge ended in a 3-2 defeat by in-form Leyton Orient at The Memorial Ground.
The Gas are now hovering just above the League One relegation zone while the O’s are closing in on the play-off zone following a ninth game without defeat.
“I have mixed emotions,” former Brighton Under-18s boss Calderon said.
“There is naturally frustration because we didn’t win but at same time I can see that there have been big improvements and so I am positive.
“We had to chase the game but we created better chances than them so that makes me positive.
“I am enjoying working with my players and I have not been with the team that long so I am optimistic.”
Manchester United academy product Ethan Galbraith, Tottenham loanee Jamie Donley and Charlie Kelman were on target for the visitors while veteran striker Chris Martin kept Rovers in it with a brace.
Rovers pushed their visitors all the way and almost equalised late on but Gatlin O’Donkor was penalised for handball when he bundled the ball in during stoppage-time.
“I don’t know what happened in there with the disallowed goal but with the way things are going we probably would have to create another chance to make sure,” Calderon.
“That’s what happens when you are in a difficult situation and you’re up against a team that is in a good place.
“But I have told the players that we can’t waste time looking for excuses.
“We have to accept we are in a difficult situation but we can’t talk about the referee or being unlucky.
“We have to do more things right and hen we will make our own luck.
“We have to do more and more we have to do more right on and off he ball. We have to find solutions.”
O’s manager Richie Wellens was delighted with the outcome which saw his team move up to eighth in the League One able.
“It was a brilliant result,” Wellens said.
“The schedule is brutal so we had to make changes and we didn’t have much time to prepare.
“At times we were very good and we could have scored a few more but I had to take my hat off to Rovers because of the manner in which they kept going.
“We played them three weeks ago when we won 3-0 and the intensity levels today were a lot higher than then so it was a hell of a difficult game.
“We should have managed the game better and maybe got a fourth to stop the crowd getting involved because they were excellent in the last 25 minutes.”
Wellens also sang the praises of Donley and Sonny Perkins who was involved in all three of his side’s goals.
“This is the most chances we’ve given up in a long while and a lot of them were either down to our mistakes or because we were tired mentally,” Wellens added.
“But I have to say that Sonny Perkins was excellent and like Jamie, he’s getting better and better each week as he gains in confidence. That first half was the best Sonny has played for us.”
