Sam Finley makes Bristol Rovers teammate demand after start to season | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers midfielder Sam Finley has called on his teammates to be braver on the ball in order to end their poor form away from home.

Rovers were beaten 1-0 away to Hartlepool United at the weekend, leaving them 21st in League Two, and without an away win since last December.

Finley, captaining the team in Paul Coutts’ absence, was downbeat after the result, and said his teammates can not wait to go a goal behind before starting to play football.

“Disappointed,” Finley said via BristolLive

“It’s obviously not good enough and I think we need to be a lot braver on the ball. We can’t wait to go 1-0 down to start playing football. We need to do that from the off.

“It’s massively disappointing coming here and losing. We need to start working on our away form.” Finley added.

Asked whether Rovers’ poor away form was affecting the players mentally, Finley dismissed the idea, pointing to the huge squad overhaul that took place at Rovers during the summer.

“It’s a whole new squad and you can’t keep mentioning last season because that’s got nothing to do with us.

“I know for the club and the fans it’s disappointing, but it’s got nothing to do with the squad and we just need to focus on this season now and start getting better away from home.” Finley concluded.

The Verdict

No away win in over nine months is never a good sign for any club, and it’s something Manager Joey Barton should be looking to address very quickly.

However, Sam Finley is right to point out that last season’s away form has little to do with this season’s squad of players, with Rovers bringing in 17 new faces during the summer.

That being said, Finley and his teammates will no doubt be working hard to earn their first away win of the season as quickly as possible.