Opposition view: Scathing Matt Taylor 'incredibly frustrated' after 'soft' Bristol Rovers lose at Sixfields

Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor has warned his players to buck up their ideas or risk being sold after he was left ‘incredibly frustrated’ by their performance in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Northampton at Sixfields.

Rovers have now lost seven of their last 10 league games and much of the damage was done in a sluggish first half when Patrick Brough’s third-minute opener was added to by Mitch Pinnock five minutes before half-time.

The visitors did improve in the second half and they had hope of a comeback thanks to Chris Martin’s 79th-minute header, but a sensational strike by Marc Leonard ensured Cobblers moved back above Rovers in the League One table.

"I have to be careful what I say because I'm incredibly frustrated but I can't stand here and keep saying the same things,” said Taylor. "The first half was poor and we couldn't get any aggression in our running and we were second best too often, but goals are still so important and both are preventable.

"There's a softness which has been apparent for a long time. We were brighter in the second half, we ran harder and we had more purpose. We got back in the game but then another poor goal from a set-piece has cost us again. All three goals are incredibly preventable and that's a recurring theme.

"The fans are frustrated and rightly so because the way we run at the start of the game was poor. We don't seem to value certain things as a team so I need to find a way to hammer that home on the training pitch or some players will struggle to stay at the football club.

"We need to change things because you can see how soft we are with the goals we concede and when we concede those goals, we're having to chase games. Football is a simple game. Do your job first and foremost."