They did it again. For the second home game in succession, Bristol Rovers delivered late drama.
The late, late show is becoming a regular occurrence in BS7. This time, it was Walsall who suffered in the final moments, and again it was Aaron Collins doing the damage.
Joey Barton may not see him as an out-and-out striker, but damn, does he have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Games against Hartlepool and the Saddlers in the past fortnight have both drifted towards goalless conclusions, only for Collins to strike the decisive blow. Like the winner against Hartlepool, the 24-year-old was positioned perfectly in the penalty area to net the winner.
It meant more than three points to the Gas and their fans. It fuelled the growing confidence which is shared on both sides of the advertising hoardings. With 13 points taken from the past five games, Rovers are making Gasheads believe.
A massive moment
A 0-0 draw would have brought mixed feelings for Barton and his players. Having played for close to an hour with 10 men, a point on the face of it is a decent result, but Rovers' slow start to the season has left them playing catch-up on the teams in the play-off places.
As the game entered the closing stages, six of the top seven were winning and the gap was growing to 10 points.
No game is straightforward in the physical League Two arena but, in the circumstances, this felt like a game the Gas had to win to maintain their momentum and keep the play-offs within reach.
And just as Swindon Town conceded against nine-man Colchester United to drop points, Rovers produced their own massive moment with Aaron Collins again in the right place at the right time to win it at the death in front of the Thatchers End.
Fourteen days previously, he thumped the roof of the net to beat Hartlepool United with a couple of minutes to play and he left it even later to strike against Walsall, nodding home as the fourth official held the board aloft.
That 10-point deficit in a matter of seconds became six, with a game in hand. Elsewhere, Tony Craig and Tom Nichols were doing Rovers favours in firing Crawley Town to a comeback win at Bradford City. It is a lesson for 12th-placed Rovers that if they continue to hold up their end of the bargain, those around them in the table will falter.
Hope has been felt strongly in BS7 of late as Rovers showed signs of breaking free from the shackles of the bottom half of the table, but the mood felt different at the Mem on Saturday. Cautious optimism was traded for genuine belief thanks to another massive Aaron Collins goal.
A crucial introduction
There are quite a few players in this Rovers squad that one thinks would be willing to take a punch in the face for the cause, but put Harvey Saunders atop that list.
The wholehearted forward is worth his place in the squad for moments like this alone. His pace and persistence punished the miscommunication between Donervon Daniels and Carl Rushworth, beating the goalkeeper to the ball and taking a heavy-handed whack to the face in the process.
Saunders plays at one tempo – maximum – and his introduction from the bench was just what a tiring Rovers needed. His injection of intent turned one point into three.
The 24-year-old finds himself tangled in the intense competition for places Rovers have in their forward areas, but his return from injury as the Gas reach the halfway point in their season and turn for home is timely.
Rovers may be on a winning running but they are having to work hard for their points and Saunders is the kind of player who can break games open.
Unintended advantage
The late drama consigned Rovers' eighth red card of the season – the worst record in the top four divisions – to a mere subplot, but the Pirates' familiarity of playing with 10 men could actually work in their favour in circumstances like this.
That was Barton's hypothesis, at least, because Rovers showed absolutely no panic when Hoole was sent off seven minutes before half time.
Earlier in this team's progression, a first-half red card may have made a defeat inevitable, but against Walsall they were clear-minded.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Rovers delivered one of their best defensive performances of the season, keeping a thoroughly deserved clean sheet after conceding just 0.42 expected goals, according to xG Data.
Walsall, of course, were bereft of confidence after four successive defeats, but Rovers never gave them a sniff and always carried the greater attacking threat (0.92 xG) even though they were a player down.
Barton is fully aware Rovers' red card problems are not manageable in the long term and discipline remains an area for improvement for the Gas, but the way they managed the challenge speaks to a gutsy group that can cope with adversity.
Momentum building
The Mem was booming. For the first time this season a crowd in excess of 8,000 was in attendance and although they did not witness a classic spectacle as the stiff wind dictated the flow of play, the 7,500-plus of a Rovers persuasion were treated to a memorable finish.
At full time, the players knew. This was a huge victory, the kind that can make a season. Beating a Walsall side in woeful form in isolation does not mean a great deal, but dropped points would have put the brakes on Rovers' journey up the table.
The players sensed the occasion at full time. Antony Evans, who was taken out of the game by the bail sailing over his head back and forth, didn't care that this wasn't an individual performance to add to the scrapbook. This was a gruelling effort to dig deep and dig deep they did.
Evans turned to the East Stand and celebrated wildly, thumping the badge on his chest. The Gasheads on the lower terrace roared back at their hero in delight.
Barton, meanwhile, headed to the Thatchers End, pumping his fist and stoking a raucous crowd. It is emblematic of the building feeling behind this team. They may only be 12th in League Two but they seem capable of much more and they are starting to fulfil that promise.
The crowd is engaged and growing in numbers and they feel connected to a team that spend every ounce of energy every time they take to the pitch.
Twists and turns are certain to follow on the rollercoaster that is Barton's Rovers, but no-one can deny that momentum is with them.
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