Bristol Rovers 2 Carlisle 0 - Archive

Matty Taylor's believes his two late goals prove that Rovers 'fitness first' policy is paying off..

Striker Taylor, 25, grabbed a second half brace to sink fellow play-off hopefuls Carlisle before revealing:

"We're a fit bunch of lads and always finish games strongly. Our pre-season was tough and it's not good fun when you're doing it.

"We spent the last one in Cardiff bonding and doing a lot of running up Welsh mountains. To be honest I just tried to get the work done at the time and blank it out, but we're seeing the benefits now.

"There's no better feeling than running next to someone late in a game and knowing they're struggling for air while you're still feeling fresh."

Taylor scored twenty goals in Rovers promotion campaign last term, but is coy about revealing targets set by either the team or himself.

"We know how many wins we need and we keep ticking them off one by one.

"I'm on eight goals now and so my next target's nine. I'd get too much abuse if I set targets and I didn't make them."

Rovers chalked up only a second league home win this season, but have grabbed nineteen points on their travels to keep them in contention and delighted manager Darrell Clarke said:

"The players are working hard for each other and that's the minimum we expect at this football club. I don't think anyone can question this group's character."

Birthday boy Keith Curle retained his sense of humour despite the defeat. Carlisle's Bristol-born boss joked:

"How to spoil a birthday party!I made one massive bad decision. I knew where the dug out was and that we had to walk across the wet pitch to get to it and I was wearing suede topped shoes.

"We came up a little short in some aspects, but can still take some positives from the game."