Following Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw between Bristol Rovers and Reading, Aaron Collins expressed his dissatisfaction, claiming that his team ought to have been given “a blatant penalty” in the closing moments of the game.

At the Select Car Leasing Stadium, John Marquis went down in the area during extra time. It looks that the striker’s back was struck by the arm of a Reading player after the player delivered a free kick. Although it appears from certain angles that the Rovers forward may have fallen on his own feet, contact was clearly made, and as a result, a spot kick should have been given.

Collins moaned post-match when asked about the mood in the locker room following the draw. “Frustrated,” he said. We seem to have lost three points, in my opinion. In the final minutes, there is an obvious penalty. Even though we clearly had opportunities to score toward the end, we were unable to do so. We win 2-1 if we score this obvious penalty.

“It’s frustrating because we thought we performed well. I believe that during the entire ninety minutes, we had the better opportunities. We all know that we can do much better, but it annoys us that we’ve already lost three points.

We conceded the first goal and found it difficult to trail 1-0, but we proved we had a strong squad by rallying behind Mangs’ encouragement on the sidelines and at the half. Although we may have faltered a little, I still believe we should have won the game. We came out strong in the second half and demonstrated it in the first 20 minutes of the half.

The game itself was very forgettable, and the Gas’ performance was by no means a classic. The first half in especially raised concerns because the visitors appeared lethargic at times. Before Ryan Woods was tackled close to his own penalty area, Reading’s Sam Smith was able to play through and score the first goal shortly before halftime. Up until then, individual mistakes were going unpunished.

Harvey Vale, who was on loan from Chelsea, helped Chris Martin score for the third straight league game, so his entrance early in the second half proved to be a game-changing move.

Additionally, after Vale was brought in, Collins moved to a more forward center position, replacing the Welshman on the left flank, which gave Andy Mangan’s team a more menacing appearance.

The only outfield player to have started every league game for the Gas this season is the League One player of the previous season. He is without a doubt one of the most dangerous attackers when he has the ball, having scored three goals and assisted six more in the third tier. The 26-year-old’s entire team benefits when he is performing well.

Since Joey Barton was fired, interim manager Mangan has overseen three games; the Gas have won two and drawn one, going undefeated in their past four games. It is commonly known that the players who want to see the interim manager appointed permanently hold a great deal of popularity for the former assistant.

Collins proclaimed, “It’s about getting back to being used to that 4-2-4 now.” “Harvey obviously entered the game, and in my opinion, he altered it. I’m simply disappointed because we come here, we have about 3,000 fans, and we want to go and win for them. He created opportunities when he first came on. As I mentioned earlier, we’re fighting here as a team, pushing ourselves back up the table, competing for Mangs, and we’re all optimistic, but right now we’re focusing on Carlisle.

It was our chance. Although we couldn’t take them, Chrissy’s fantastic finish and the penalty helped us. It has narrow borders. You don’t have to go out and score three or four goals, but it’s a different thing when we win 2-1 after being behind 1-0.

“You might say that it’s thin margins and annoying when it’s taken away from you and you’re at the expense of someone else.

“The good news is that it’s not a loss. We maintain our winning streak and will move up the table if we continue to draw or win.”

The first of three straight away trips—possibly four if the home match against Fleetwood Town on November 18 is postponed due to internationals—was made to Reading on Saturday. The next big travel is expected to be to Carlisle. It looks as though Mangan will remain in his interim job this weekend in Cumbria, even though the club hasn’t stated it.

Bristol Rovers’ hunt for a new manager is still ongoing, and although the interim manager is still a candidate, it seems inevitable that the club’s upper management will designate a new manager should they fail to secure three points on Saturday.