Paul Trollope thanked Bristol Rovers' supporters for sticking with the team after they were rewarded with a much-improved performance in the weekend stalemate at Walsall, writes Chris Swift.

Almost a quarter of the crowd of 3,886 which watched the 0-0 draw at the Banks's Stadium were away fans.

And after a difficult week on and off the pitch, Pirates' boss Trollope was quick to praise the tremendous backing they gave the side throughout the afternoon.

"There aren't many teams in the country that would have so many fans turn up to an away fixture after losing the previous game 5-0 and putting in a very poor performance," said Trollope

"They got behind us before, during, and after the game and I would like to thank them for that because they made a big, big, difference both to the players and to the staff.

"They showed that they have an influence on proceedings and on our mentality. We are all in it together and I thank them for their response."

Trollope confirmed that Rovers hope to have a couple of new faces arriving at the club, although they face a race against time to complete deals before tomorrow night's clash with the Saddlers at the Memorial Stadium

"We believe that, barring any last-minute hitches, we have secured one striker and we are close to bringing in another one as well," he said.

"We are expecting some action early in the week, though whether or not they will arrive in time to feature on Tuesday evening remains to be seen as it will depend on how quickly the paperwork and the details can be sorted.

"But we are confident of making signings."

Trollope took heart from the fact his side had by far the better of a game played on a very poor pitch, which cut up badly.

"We spoke about a lot of issues following the Orient defeat and the players showed what we are all about because there was a lot of spirit and good commitment at Walsall," said Trollope.

."We defended well when we needed to and produced some very, very, good football. On another day, perhaps on a slightly better pitch, we might have created one or two more chances, taken them, and gone on to record the win that we think we probably deserved."

Rovers were missing midfielder Chris Lines and defenders Aaron Lescott and Danny Coles through injuries, and the trio are also expected to be out of contention for tomorrow.

But Trollope praised the players drafted in.

"I thought the three players who came in did very well. In all cases they were experienced players who were disappointed not to be in the starting lineup anyway," said the manager.

"Steve Elliott played as if he'd never been away, Dominic Blizzard showed his quality after a frustrating time since joining the club, and Mark Wright who was disappointed to be left out on Tuesday, returned to his old club and produced a good performance as well."