DAVID PIPE has set his sights on a return to Bristol Rovers' starting line-up for their trip to Colchester United on Saturday.

The winger found himself on the bench for last weekend's 0-0 draw against Crewe – but was soon involved in the action.

When Ryan Green aggravated a hamstring injury, Pipe was drafted in to the right-back role with a licence to go forward. And he did it to good effect, with a string of excellent crosses.

With Green expected to be out for at least a fortnight, Pipe could well be asked to fill the role again when the Pirates make their first trip to Colchester's new stadium.

"I'd like to think I made an impact last weekend," said Pipe.

"I hadn't been happy with my performance in the previous game at Yeovil and I wanted to make an impression.

"Nobody wants to be sitting on the bench and although I was disappointed for Ryan, I was happy to take my chance."

Pipe believes the formation the Pirates fielded against Crewe – with Jeff Hughes playing further up the pitch – could be well suited to away games.

"The formation we played at home last weekend would suit us away as well because it gives Jeff more licence to go forward," said Pipe.

"When you are away from home the pressure is off you a bit. At home there's a bit of tension when we try and keep the ball because of expectation from the fans.

"They sometimes get a bit frustrated if we are not flooding forward in every minute. Away from home I think that system could suit us even more.

"We are a team who play well on the break and when we did that last season there were some sides who couldn't cope with us. Hopefully we can continue in the same way this season.

"We looked a bit more secure on Saturday with Stuart Campbell playing in front of the back four. Some people may say it's negative, but we hadn't kept a clean sheet for quite some while.

"We created chances at the other end and I don't know how we didn't win, but it was a clean sheet and another step in the right direction."