CIAN Bolger admits he may have been a little bit "timid" when he first arrived at Bristol Rovers – though there was precious little evidence of that at Northampton on Tuesday night.
Early on in the Pirates' midweek clash at Sixfields, the Irish central defender attempted to stop Michael Jacobs as the midfielder sprinted towards the visitors' goal.
Bolger's challenge came a fraction late, not only sending the Cobblers' player sprawling – but also clattering his Rovers' team-mate Danny Woodards in the process, inflicting an ankle injury which prevented the right-back appearing for the second half.
"I thought I could nick the ball, but I ended up cleaning the two of them out, which was disappointing," added Bolger, pictured. "Danny's alright – he'll live!
"You are out there to do a job and you can't be Mr Nice. If you clatter your own player, you just have to pick him up and dust him off.
"It happens in football and it could have been the other way around."
Manager Mark McGhee felt Bolger's aggression was one of the factors that sparked Rovers' second-half revival at Sixfields in a game which they eventually lost 3-2 after finding themselves three goals down inside the opening 20 minutes.
But the young Dubliner – who celebrates his 20th birthday on Monday – says the physical side of the game is something he's had to learn about quickly during his loan spells with the Pirates from Leicester City.
They started last season and have now encompassed 36 first-team outings ahead of tomorrow's trip to promotion-chasing Torquay United.
"I'd never played a Football League game before I came here, so I was probably a bit timid.
"I feel I've improved a lot since then," said Bolger.
"Playing reserve team football at Leicester was a bit tippy-tappy and not really competitive, so the physicality of lower league football came as a bit of a shock. But it's something I feel I've adapted to."
Bolger played alongside burly target man Rene Howe towards the end of last season while the striker was on loan at the Memorial Stadium from Peterborough, but is likely to be facing the job of trying to contain him at Plainmoor tomorrow.
"Torquay have been very good all season and very consistent. I didn't play against them earlier in the season, but they turned us over and bullied us off the pitch, so it will be a good test for us," said Bolger.
"There's a lot of lads here who have played for Torquay, so they are all looking forward to the game and hoping to prove a point. It should be a good game."
Central defensive cover is one of the few areas that Rovers lack at the moment. So while Bolger's immediate future looks assured, his destiny beyond the end of the current campaign is somewhat more uncertain.
"I don't know what's happening for next season," he said.
"Leicester are my parent club, so obviously I'd be looking to push my way in there, although it's going to be difficult because they have such a big squad and a lot of the boys there have played in the Premiership.
"It may be that I have to go on loan again for another season, but you never know what's going to happen.
"I've had a taste of first-team football now, so it would be very frustrating next season if I was just sitting in the reserves. Getting first-team games is the main thing for me, so if it means going out on loan again then it will have to be done.
"I'd love to be playing here again, but that's not down to me – it's down to Leicester."
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