Bristol Rovers keeper Steve Phillips says the Pirates should never have been involved in a relegation struggle.

Rovers beat Walsall on Tuesday night to end a run of 11 games without a win and make them virtually safe from the drop.

But Phillips said: "We are a far better team than that would suggest. We can be looking at finishing 10th or 12th.

"I think everybody associated with the playing side of the club is a little bit frustrated with people mentioning that word," he told BBC Radio Bristol.

Pirates head coach Paul Trollope expressed his relief after Rickie Lambert's goal at Bescot Stadium clinched Rovers' first victory in 12 games.

"As the run's gone on, since we got knocked out of the cup, there's been an increasing sense of anxiety about not having won so the players knew the importance," said Trollope.

"We've broken the 50-point barrier which is great and now we really want to push towards the 60."