Paul Trollope has hinted that he is set to offer the players humbled at Norwich a chance to redeem themselves when Bristol Rovers return to action against Southend on Saturday.

Bristol Rovers suffered their heaviest defeat of the campaign at Carrow Road 10 days ago after being outplayed by a rampant Norwich side, who plundered four goals in the opening 45 minutes before going on to win 5-1.

The reverse, however, was only Rovers third in 11 league games – a run which has seen them climb inside the top six in League One – and came just four days after the same players had secured a memorable last-minute victory at Southampton.

Trollope yesterday explained that there were possibly 'opportunities' for other squad players in the wake of the mauling – but the likelihood is that the Rovers boss will give the same players a chance to show that the Carrow Road horror show was merely a 'blip'.

He said: "We were disappointed with a number of aspects at Norwich. You could label it a blip and look at other reasons, such as it was the second tough away game within a few days, so there was a lot of travelling and a lot of factors to consider.

"The players have been in great form before that, but when that sort of game happens opportunities may arise for one or two others. We had gone with the same team for a number of matches before Norwich and they had done well during that spell.

"There were certain things and aspects that were not right against Norwich and we need to improve on them. The players response since that time has been very good but there are always opportunities for others if they do things right in training.

"It (making changes) is a decision I have to make and I am certainly not one for knee-jerk reactions. There were some physical, mental and tactical reasons for why we got beaten so heavily at Norwich. We have looked at them in detail and I will look at everything before deciding whether or not to make any changes."

Trollope has a number of options on the bench should he choose to shuffle his pack at Roots Hall with defender Steve Elliott, midfielder Dominic Blizzard and strikers Darryl Duffy and Andy Williams all waiting patiently for a chance to break into the starting line-up.

"There won't be wholesale changes because the group that have played in that first 10 or 11 games have been fantastic," said Trollope.

"We have picked up some great points with some good performances, but the players know that they need to produce to stay in the team. There is competition at the club now and everybody here knows I am fair in that regard."

Trollope is expected to have a fully-fit Bristol Rovers squad to choose from after last weekend's postponement against Leeds United offered the players an extra seven days rest.

"Everyone is fit and we have had a good and intense week of training," he said. "The little break has given Danny Coles, Aaron Lescott and Dominic Blizzard the chance to have a few days off and recuperate from a few niggles they have been struggling with."