SKIPPER Mark McChrystal knows senior players will have to come to the fore as Bristol Rovers' battle to avoid relegation looks set to go to the wire.
Rovers claimed a battling draw at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday - but wins for fellow strugglers Northampton Town and Wycombe Wanderers saw them pegged back to within four points of the relegation zone.
'We have quite a few young lads in the squad who haven't been through this sort of situation before,' McChrystal said.
'They will probably be feeling the pressure a little bit, but it is up to the more experienced lads to pull them through it.
'We have played better when we have gone behind in certain games recently and I think that suggests that we are struggling with anxiety when the game is tight and there is nothing in it.
'Look at the nerves and tension that were around until we got the late goal against Morecambe last weekend.
'I think we need to find a way of overcoming that sort of thing from the start of games. We need to settle down a bit, but it is easier said than done. It is an unpredictable league.
'We have five games to go and if we don't lose any of them I think that would be enough.
'That's got to be our marker and it is up to us because we are playing teams in and around us.'
Rovers are offered a good chance of getting a win to ease the pressure when they entertain Conference-bound Torquay United at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
McChrystal said: 'We got a draw against them at their place on Boxing Day, but we should really have won the game.
'That should give us a bit of confidence ahead of the return game next weekend as will some of our other performances at home this season.'
McChrystal, meanwhile, was part of a defensive unit that secured a 15th clean sheet on the way to a point at Kingsmeadow on Saturday.
'It was a real battle,' he said. 'We had to stand firm at the back and I think we will be the happier of the two sides to go away with a point.
'It is another clean sheet and we're just looking for break at the other end. We haven't scored enough goals as a team, so it is important that we have managed to limit the amount we've conceded.
'We're happy enough with where we are defensively, but we need to get over the line in terms of winning games.'
On being handed the captaincy after Darrell Clarke replaced John Ward as manager last week, McChrystal added: 'It is just nice to be the sort of player who would be considered.
'I'm pleased Darrell asked me and I'm happy to do it for him.'
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