Darrell Clarke unhappy with the state of Bristol Rovers’ pitch
Posted Sunday, February 25, 2018 by PA
Darrell Clarke apologised to Bristol Rovers’ fans for the state of the Memorial Stadium pitch after Ellis Harrison’s stoppage-time equaliser secured a 1-1 draw against promotion-chasing Scunthorpe.
The Pirates boss could not disguise his frustration over the sandy playing surface that contributed to a game littered with errors from both teams.
Clarke said: “The pitch is dreadful and I can only apologise to our supporters and our opponents because it is making good football next to impossible.
“It is nothing to do with our current groundstaff. Mistakes were made when work was carried out on the pitch last summer and we are now paying the penalty.
“It is heavy on the legs and far too soft on top. While it is the same for both teams, I feel for our fans, particularly as it is only going to get worse between now and the end of the season.
“Again my players have shown tremendous character to come from behind and take something. I couldn’t be happier with the spirit they show.
“Of course, we can be better. But we have to go more direct than I would like because of the pitch and it is not the type of football I like to play.”
Harrison fired in from close range when Liam Sercombe delivered a cross from the by-line on the right at the start of five minutes of stoppage time.
Scunthorpe had defended well to that point and led in the 61st minute when Duane Holmes stole in behind the Rovers defence onto Funso Ojo’s low ball and swept a left-footed shot past the advancing Adam Smith.
The visitors had chances to increase their lead, which made Rovers’ last-gasp equaliser all the harder to take for Iron boss Graham Alexander.
He said: “I felt totally comfortable throughout the game and we should have come away with a 1-0 win.
“Disappointing is one word. I can think of others. We were guilty of some sloppy finishing when a goal up and paid the penalty.
“I’ll need to see the goal we conceded again, but it seemed at the time that we had a chance to clear.
“The pitch was bad, but the one we train on is worse, so I am not going to use that as an excuse.
“This is a difficult place to visit because Darrell has done a fantastic job here. But today we should be going home with all three points.”
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