"We must give it our all" | Darrell Clarke anticipates the Grimsby Town test

When Bristol Rovers travel to play Grimsby Town on Saturday, Darrell Clarke says the team hopes to build on recent victories.

With two clean sheets and four points from their past two Sky Bet League Two games, the Pirates are coming to Blundell Park on a three-game winning streak across all competitions.

The Mariners, who are now fourth in the division following an undefeated start to the season and are celebrating an incredible Carabao Cup triumph over Manchester United on Wednesday night, could, however, prove to be Rovers' most difficult test to far.

However, Clarke told the media on Thursday that Grimsby's exploits in the midweek cup would not matter to his team when 3pm on matchday arrived, ahead of Saturday's lengthy journey across the nation.

The head coach also shared his thoughts on the dynamics of his club, the assimilation of his new additions, and his expectations for the rest of the summer transfer window.

How much progress do you think the players' team has made since the last week?

"If we go back to last week, I believe we played really well against Oldham on Tuesday night." I believed that we fought it out on Saturday. The first half was decent enough, but the second half was a grind. Not quite good enough on Tuesday.

Listen, we can discuss how we rallied and won the match on penalties, but in my opinion, we fell well short of the standards I want to see our team reach, and the emotions were evident following the match.

"Yes, Tuesday had a few encouraging moments, so I don't want to focus solely on the bad, but some of that performance was unsatisfactory. They responded in the second half, which is a positive thing.

There were one or two things that happened, and Fabrizio Cavegn came on and scored a couple of goals, which would be fantastic for him. Sometimes, you see stuff in those games that make you think, "Well, that's miles off," but other times, you think, "Okay, that's good."

I'm happy that we returned in it and displayed character.

This weekend's matchup against a free-scoring squad in Grimsby will be an excellent test. We will need to put in a lot of training to attempt to get our third clean sheet because they have been hitting the box and exceeding the projected goals.

Clarke, Darrell

As a coach, I can see that you don't want games like that, but they can be helpful in establishing the idea that "that is absolutely not acceptable, this is what we need" early in the season.

Some players have had more opportunities than others, but some players need to understand where I am and where we are going to take this club.

We have played a lot of games, and I always want to be a manager that gives people opportunity.

"That understanding must exist, and I'm honest with my players and those that I believe need to improve significantly, and you know you want to see that reaction.

It has undoubtedly demonstrated to me that those games have provided me with answers to many of the issues I had in my mind.

You brought up Fabrizio because, in my opinion, scoring your first goal is crucial when you move to a new nation, club, and all of that. Hopefully, that will be a major factor in his adjustment to Rovers.

In my opinion, there will always be a mix of new players joining the team in the summer who require a little more time to get used to their surroundings.

They're still attempting to build relationships on the pitch, and I always give them a little more leeway.

Some of the guys who have been there from the beginning, in my opinion, have done well here, while others still need to improve.

I understand that, but I give them a little tolerance, but the guys who have been there for a long time don't receive any mercy from me; they need to demonstrate more consistently that they can manage me.

Returning to Fabrizio there, he was excellent. He's really going to give it his all; he's come on and scored a couple of goals.

We'll work on him to help him adjust to the English game, but I've been happy with the impact. The supporters adore him just for his work ethic and manner of working.

I believe that as a player, you want to play as many games as you can, but as a coach, I get the impression that things are very different.

Would you like to play as many Saturday games as you can?

"You want to collaborate with the new group as much as you can when working with them and the adjustments that have been made.

My coaches and I take great pride in the work we can accomplish on the pitch, but it can be difficult to find a place where we can get some genuine, appropriate fitness training into the squad when you're trying to connect with a new group and it's game after game and fast-paced.

We discussed how some of the team scored goals, but after two league games with two clean sheets and a somewhat settled back four, back five, and goalkeeper, it appears to be much more what you would like. Yes, it is what we must keep doing.

"The boys should aim for that goal on Saturday, and you know we're going to have to be at our best to keep a clean sheet there, because I believe it's been two or three years since the club has had three clean sheets in a league game."

After winning the cup, Grimsby is undoubtedly the main focus there. Does that have any effect on their players?

"Listen, I have no control over that, and I have no idea how to solve it. All I know is that we want to play at our highest level so we can win three points against a team that hasn't lost this season. That's all I'm concerned about.

"Trying to go up there and win the game with a strategy in place." You are aware that I have never changed. Thus, I'm looking forward to the test, which will be good.

The end of the transfer window is drawing near.

Do you anticipate a hectic few days?

"I anticipate a busy period to help us strengthen the areas that require attention."

There may be one or two going out and refreshing the team after reevaluating over the past several months as well. I hope it doesn't let me down because I anticipate a hectic day.

You've already experienced a handful of these. Does it no longer cause you as much stress?

"Yes, I do, but there comes a time when you're looking at other players and meeting with recruitment teams, including Ricky Martin,

after the games and recruitment process. You're still able to fit in a lot of games despite the constant meetings. You are therefore relieved when the window closes.

We had to make significant adjustments to last season's extremely high pay cost, but I believe we made some excellent additions in the summer.

The level we're at has forced us to make those cuts, so it's always difficult for managers to do that while still fielding a competitive team that, ideally, we can be satisfied with at the conclusion of the window.

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