Alfie Kilgour made his first start for Bristol Rovers yesterday, playing the full 90 minutes in their 2-2 draw with Plymouth Argyle.
The 20-year-old was called upon due to captain Tom Lockyer being on international duty, having been recalled from his loan at National League Maidenhead United for a situation like this.
Yet how did he perform on his full Rovers debut?
Gavin Reilly could just have scored the goal to keep Bristol Rovers up
Performance review
It was a solid performance from Kilgour, who looked very assured from the off. He kept a cool head in a rather hostile atmosphere and did not panic when the ball came to him. The Gas were pushed onto the back foot from the off, meaning he had to keep alert, but he held his shape well and struck up a good partnership with Tony Craig.
When the ball came to him in the box early on, he put in a good clearance and then immediately moved the defensive line up the pitch, showing decent maturity. He also gave a good indication into how strong he is at reading the game, scampering across the box to block a Ruben Lameiras shot when the Plymouth attacker had ghosted into space in the area.
He showed he was not afraid to mix it physically, either, taking part in some engrossing battles with Plymouth front man Freddie Ladapo. Whilst he did not come out on top in every one, the striker endured a hit and miss afternoon, which was testament to the defensive work of Kilgour and Craig.
The challenge for Kilgour now is to maintain those levels in order to become a regular starter for the Gas, but it was very much a promising first start.
What his manager thought
Graham Coughlan was impressed with the young defender’s performance, specifically singling him out in his post-match press conference.
He said: “If anyone gets the headlines it should be Alfie Kilgour making his debut in such a hostile environment and such a big game. I thought he was outstanding for a young kid, to be quite honest with you. I really enjoyed watching him, I think he’s got a big future.
“Tom Lockyer is the club captain and any team in the land would miss Tom Lockyer, to be honest, but Alfie stepped in and was a willing and an able deputy. He was very good, he was cool, he was calm and commanding, he was strong in the challenge. I asked him yesterday and today just to do the basics well and I thought he did.”
What the fans thought
Gas fans at Home Park were full of praise for Kilgour at full-time, directing a rousing ‘one of our own’ chant at him. Those on social media also seemed impressed.
