James Wilson emphasized that Bristol Rovers must continue learning after their 4-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas began the match positively but found themselves 2-0 down at halftime following two close-range goals from Joe Hugill, both resulting from corners that Rovers failed to defend. Thelo Aasgaard netted Wigan’s third after the break, and Luke Chambers rounded off the scoring with a free-kick.
Wilson expressed frustration over the team’s performance, particularly their struggles with defending set-pieces. “The changing room is really down at the moment,” said Wilson. “We started well and were on the front foot, but conceded two set-pieces and another in the second half. It was a tough afternoon.”
He added, “We didn’t defend set-pieces well enough. If we had defended three of them better, the other goal was a mistake. They didn’t create a goal from open play, so that’s not good enough.”
Bristol Rovers had previously secured back-to-back home clean sheets in victories over Northampton Town and Cambridge United, but struggled to respond after conceding the opener in the 20th minute against Wigan Athletic.
James Wilson acknowledged the difficulty his side faced once Wigan took the lead, expressing hope that the young squad will learn from the experience. “I think the goal took the sting out of us,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to be better in that moment, forget about it, and move on. The energy went out of us after the goal. That’s on us on the pitch, nobody else can help that.”
He noted that the team’s reaction varied, especially with a young group. “It changes the way some people play, but that comes with experience. Hopefully, we will learn from this moment, but we’ve got to learn really quickly.”
Rovers looked for a second-half response, making two changes by bringing on Connor Taylor and Scott Sinclair, but were unable to shift the momentum. A third goal came after a mistake by goalkeeper Josh Griffiths. However, Wilson was quick to defend the West Bromwich Albion loanee, who had been solid all season with three clean sheets to his name.
“I told Josh he had been unbelievable,” Wilson said. “In his position, if he makes a mistake, it’s a goal, but none of us can hold it against him. He’s saved us four or five times this season, probably more. There’s no doubt he’ll be brilliant next week.”
With 16 summer signings reshaping the squad, Wilson remains optimistic, believing that the group’s hunger for success will drive them forward. “The group is really hungry to be successful. Many of these boys haven’t been in this position before, so they will learn as they go. Hopefully, we’ll get on a run and build confidence.”
Wilson concluded by stressing the need for improvement: “Everyone knows we weren’t good enough today all over the pitch. If you don’t, there’s something wrong. We’re going to work really hard this week to try and get better.”
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