Josh McEachran started and played the full 90 minutes as Bristol Rovers were beaten 4-0 by MK Dons at the Memorial StadiumJosh McEachran of Bristol Rovers in action against MK Dons at the Mem(Image: EFL)

Bristol Rovers need to put their defeat to MK Dons “right on the training pitch” ahead of the visit of Tranmere Rovers, according to Josh McEachran, with the midfielder labelling the Gas’ back-to-back league defeats as a “bit of a wake-up call.”

Darrell Clarke’s side suffered their fifth league loss of the season as a flurry of late goals saw them beaten 4-0 by the Dons at the Mem on Saturday afternoon. While the scoreline made for grim reading, Rovers conceded three times in the final 10 minutes and stoppage time, having fallen behind early on as a result of an Alfie Kilgour own goal.

The Gas skipper inadvertently turned an Alex Gilbey cross beyond Brad Young and into the back of his own net after just eight minutes to open the scoring before each of Laurence Maguire, Gilbey, and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy got their names on the scoresheet in the closing exchanges.

READ MORE: “A shocking day” – Darrell Clarke reacts to poor afternoon as Bristol Rovers downed by DonsREAD MORE: Bristol Rovers player ratings vs MK Dons: Four-goal rout sinks Gas for back-to-back defeats

Having gone seven games without defeat prior to last weekend’s loss to Walsall, Rovers now find themselves 14th in League Two after losing back-to-back league matches for the first time since August.

Although McEachran felt like the result flattered MK Dons, he – like the majority of supporters – was disappointed with the Gas’ performance and was quick to call for a reaction ahead of another important week for Clarke’s side.

“It was frustrating,” explained the 32-year-old in his post-match press conference. “I felt like we had a really positive week after the Walsall defeat, we had a good week in training, and then to concede so early was a bit of a kick in the teeth.

“I thought we got going a little bit after that, but not as much as we wanted to. I don’t think we had enough spells where we maintained the pressure on them; it was a little bit too easy for them. At the same time, I don’t feel like a 4-0 defeat.

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“Three set-pieces and they countered late on, but it’s a bit of a wake-up call. Obviously, we went on such a good run and now, two defeats in a row, we need to put that right, get back Monday morning and put it behind us. Obviously, we’re going to be frustrated tonight and tomorrow, but games come around thick and fast in this league, and we need to move on now to Tranmere.”

On the mood in the changing room, he added, “Words are quite cheap; you can’t really say much to the lads, we know what went wrong.

“I think we need to have a day off tomorrow, analyse it ourselves, look at our own performance, then go in Monday morning, analyse it as a team, and put it right on the training pitch.”

Saturday’s game was Rovers’ first league loss at the Mem since their opening-day defeat to Harrogate Town more than two months ago. In that time, Clarke’s side have managed to transform their fortunes in BS7, beating the likes of Salford City, Barrow and Cambridge United, whilst also sharing points with Oldham Athletic.

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Fortunately, the busy schedule in England’s fourth tier means that the Gas don’t have too long to wait for their first chance to get back to winning ways in front of their own supporters in the league, as Tranmere make the trip to north Bristol on Saturday afternoon.

Having joined Rovers’ ranks from Oxford United during the summer transfer window, McEachran has been impressed by what he’s seen from supporters so far and is eager to reward their loyalty with an improved showing and result this weekend.

“Obviously, they started to leave before the end of the game, which is understandable at 3-0, 4-0 down,” the midfielder said on the home crowd. “But they’ve been unbelievable from the first game of the season.

“Obviously, we went three games without a result, but until now, I feel like we’ve really changed the tone in the whole stadium, got them back onside, and I love playing at the Mem. Honestly, it is one of the best atmospheres I’ve played in; you can really feel them getting behind you, so hopefully, we can give them three points next week.

“There’s no reason we can’t go on another little run,” McEachran added. “It’s just those small margins at the moment; we were so unlucky with the second goal.

“It’s just those minor details that we need to get right and put that right on Monday.”

READ MORE: Bristol Rovers 0-4 MK Dons recap: Late Dons onslaught means back-to-back league losses for GasREAD MORE: Every word Darrell Clarke said on MK Dons, 20-year Bristol Rovers record, and Lockyer situation