It’s being billed as the game where the winner stays and the loser goes – tomorrow’s clash between under-achievers Bristol Rovers and Carlisle United.
Both managers, Joey Barton and Chris Beech are under heavy scrutiny from critical fans and the clash at the Memorial Stadium could seal the fate of either losing manager.
Rovers are 20th and United are one place above them on goal difference – minus six to minus eight – as they sit three points above the drop zone.
But there was no mention of the pressure on the outcome tomorrow when Beech spoke ahead of his long trek south to Bristol.
Instead he referred to Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat by Forest Green when his side had started at a high tempo over the first half an hour.
Unfortunately they could not take one of the scoring opportunities that came their way but if they had gone in, the outcome could very well have been different.
Beech said he’s used that as a learning point as the focus switches to the trip too Bristol Rovers.
He said: “If you can put an opponent on the back foot and get your noses in front with a goal it changes a lot things within the game itself.
“What we didn’t do against Forest Green was get the first goal when we were the team in the ascendency at that time. There was ample opportunity for us to do that and we could quite easily have been two or three goals up before they scored.
“The goal didn’t come and because of that you have to make sure you stay strong in the defensive elements of your game, and particularly with one of the fundamentals of League Two football, which is set pieces.”
“Us not getting our goal against Forest Green adds to their confidence when it comes their way. There’s a lot of learning taking place amongst us, we had two debutants last week, and they will have taken a lot from it.
“But we must remember that we need to move forward and build as they get these experiences that they can learn and grow from. That’s just where it is.
“The first goal is always important and clean sheets are obviously a good foundation for everything else you want to do.
“There needs to be balance in your play, especially when you’re playing away, but the most important factor is to make sure that you’re on your game.
“Within that individuals need to make good, positive decisions and they need to work together and show cohesion in their approach.
“Whether they’re attacking as a unit, working hard to get the ball back, passing and moving to create space or backing each other up, it all has to be done as one.
“All of those elements have been there in recent games but we’ve got to move on from that point and remain strong mentally.
“Playing in that way will definitely support positive results and we’ve got to make sure we turn up on the most important day of the week, which is always match day.”
