PAUL Trollope praised the response from his Bristol Rovers side as they battled hard to take a point at Oldham despite being reduced to 10 men.

The Pirates will be without central defender Danny Coles for next weekend's home clash with Brentford after he was sent off in the closing stages of the 1-1 weekend draw at Boundary Park.

After the below-par performance in the 4-0 home defeat by Southampton a week earlier, boss Trollope, pictured, was happy with the spirit his side showed in protecting their point after Will Hoskins had given them an early lead.

"We came here with the intention of winning the game and I think you could see that by the way we started," said Trollope.

"What I was looking for was a hunger and drive and the ability to defend with a discipline and an intensity, which we saw.

"I also wanted to see us trying to pass from the back and link through midfield areas and we did that as well, especially in the opening 25 minutes and for a spell in the second half. It's been a big step forward and I was proud of the players' efforts and spirit, especially when we went down to 10 men.

"We've not had the start to the season we wanted and have suffered a couple of heavy defeats, so confidence isn't sky-high at the moment.

"After a game like the one we had last week, we weren't going to be at our cohesive and flowing best – but we did want to see some improvement, especially going forward, and I think that was in evidence."

Trollope praised striker Hoskins, who scored for the second away game in a row, hit Oldham's bar and also saw two other good attempts saved by keeper Dean Brill.

"He's shown his quality since he joined us," said Trollope. "That's two he's got in the league now and I think that everyone sees the quality of his link play.

"It was probably a little bit untidy by his standards in the first half, but when we brought John Akinde on it gave us a different outlet and allowed Will a bit more space. The keeper denied him twice and the crossbar on another occasion.

"The important thing for a striker is confidence and Will has that and is now playing football on a regular basis, something he hasn't done for a couple of years. We feel that he's going to be a big player for us."

Trollope also praised keeper Mike Green, making his league debut because Mikkel Andersen's return from under-21 duty with Denmark was thwarted by a cancelled flight.

"Mike performed well but I think the only really good save he had to make was from a free-kick in the opening period and we protected him well," said Trollope.

"He can be proud of his performance and he's shown that he's capable at this level."

With Coles suspended for the clash against the Bees, Trollope confirmed that James Tunnicliffe will be restored to the starting line-up after beginning the Oldham game on the bench.

"James was unfortunate not to start but he missed quite a few bits of pre-season with an ankle injury," said Trollope.

"We felt that his fitness wasn't quite what it should have been in the opening games and so we worked him hard last week and he did very well. He also did well when he went on at Oldham, so we have the man to replace Danny next week."