Centre forward Richie Bennett notched his fifth goal of the season at the New Lawn on Saturday afternoon when he got on the end of a Danny Grainger free kick with just under half an hour of the game played.
We spoke to him after the game to find out how important that win and the goal were to both him and the team.
“It was the result we wanted, and I think it was important to get the win,” he said. “However, I think it was even more important to get the performance so that we can get ourselves on a roll.
“Hopefully we’ll go into the games over Christmas and pick up a few more points. It does feel like we’re getting some momentum and it’s important for us to do that over this period of games. They’re coming thick and fast and we want to give ourselves something to build on.”
On the excellent set piece delivery which invited him to head his goal home, he told us: “I probably haven’t been making the most of deliveries like that, if I’m being honest.
“Danny [Grainger] put that free kick right on the money and you can almost guarantee with him that he’ll do that every time. Hallam [Hope] and I know that if we get in the right positions we’ll get the goals.
“To be fair, I think we’ve been getting in good positions all season. We just haven’t been as clinical as we should be. That’s why I’m pleased that this one went in the back of the net. It also got us the three points, so I’m more than happy.”
“It’s probably the most ‘League Two’ goal you could score,” he added. “We passed it around and outplayed them, and both me and Hallam could have had a hat-trick before half time. You’ve got to be greedy in this game, so we’ll take the three points.”
Speaking about the chances missed, starting with the chip which went just wide following a scuffed kick from the Rovers keeper, he commented: “It looked good at first, and it was one of those where you either chip him early or you drive in and go at him.
“I thought it was easier to chip him, and on another day it would probably go in. I’m gutted I missed but nobody will really think about it, simply because we got the victory.”
And on the clearance off the line from a Reggie Lambe pull-back, he said: “There was a similar one the other night [against Gillingham] and Reggie was a bit mad with me, because it didn’t go in.
“I struck it well enough this time, but the lad was there on line, so there’s nothing you can really do there. You’ve just got to keep going.”
The recent run of starts for the big striker has coincided with an improvement in personal which he revealed has come from him being able to maintain a level-headed approach to his job.
“You’ve got to take the good with the bad,” he said. “You’ve got to keep yourself on the level whether things are happening for you or they’re not.
“If you keep getting into good positions the goals will come. The gaffer has shown faith in me from the start, so it’s good on a personal level to be able to give him something back.
“It was also a good Christmas present for the lads, the club and for the fans who follow us through thick and thin. It’s always good to give them something for the support they give me.”
“What we want now is two good results at home against Accrington and Coventry,” he concluded. “We’re looking at the play-off positions, so we need to be getting wins to help us to get nearer to what we all want to achieve.”
