Rovers boss Paul Buckle was keen to put the loss against the club he left in the summer behind him without making excuses, saying:
"We have to dust ourselves down and try and get three points Tuesday night. There is still a lot of things to work on, this is going to take a good few games for us to get to know each other.
"We have got so many players who are relocating and moving, that is not an excuse, but it is going to take a bit of time. If tonight we win I won’t then be saying we are the finished article, it is going to take a bit of time.
"We are not getting above ourselves, we don't think we can breeze into games and win them, we understand where we are as a club, the players do, and we are still working on stuff, but we hope it can start with winning ways at home tonight.”
The improved second half performance and Byron Anthony goal meant that there were still positives to be taken from Saturday for the former Exeter coach who is full of confidence heading into the Northampton tussle.
"I am still very confident that if we play to our very best for the duration of the game, I really fancy us in this league.
"We have seen lots of good things, I have been very pleased with what the players have taken on board, especially the attempts on goal on Saturday. There are lots of plusses, but there are a few negatives that we need to iron out, and we will.”
Rovers started slowly against Torquay, conceding two goals within the first quarter of an hour, and looked defensively shaky throughout but Buckle has the belief that his squad can do enough at both ends of the field to take regular victories.
"It is the whole team that has to function when we don't have the ball. You have to score goals to win games, but over the years the defensive side has been vital to me, so I have to get that into the side now. It is something I know I can do
"Defending the box is a big thing at this level, as we saw at Wimbledon and on Saturday.
"The players were very disappointed Saturday after the game, because they know they can perform better. We are all in it together, we will take defeat on the chin and I am sure if we can keep creating those chances, we will win more than we lose."
Saturday saw some poor on-pitch performances but the new Rovers gaffer says that those will not force him into sudden changes.
"I am not knee jerk, I don't believe in that, I think consistency is the way forward. If we can keep consistency, win, lose or draw, throughout 50 games a season, we won’t be too far away from it.
"We work on things, sometimes that means change of formation or personnel, but I am not knee jerk."
One of the first men to step up off the Northampton coach will be Gary Johnson, formerly manager at both Yeovil Town and Bristol City, and who was so often a figure of ridicule amongst the ranks of Gasheads on the terraces. Buckle, however, had nothing but praise for the job the 55 year old is doing in the East Midlands.
"He is an experienced manager, and they are coming to us on the back of a good away win, so they are going to be dangerous. What we have to do is look at them and their strengths, and then look at us.
"They have invested heavily in the summer, and the club have backed Gary. He is newish to the job, they had a tough time last year and he has bought lots of new faces in, they are one of the favourites, and it is going to be tough."
Johnson himself was also complimentary of Rovers when speaking to ntfc.co.uk pre-match, telling the Cobblers website:
"Bristol Rovers is a good club. They are a big club and their crowd let you know when you are an opposing manager, and they will let me know for sure.
“There are some good people there, they have a new manager and a new team and I expect them to be up the top of the table come the end of the season.”
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