Antony Evans says he feels "loved" for the first time in his career and he thinks Bristol Rovers is the "perfect" club for him at this juncture. Fresh from scoring the winning goal at MK Dons on Tuesday, the midfielder said his relationship with the fanbase was a deciding factor in committing his future to the Gas.
Evans signed a three-year deal in the summer after a stellar debut season with the Gas. He was a driving force behind the League Two promotion push, delivering 11 goals and 14 assists in 39 games after joining from German club SC Paderborn.
Joey Barton was delighted to secure the former Everton prospect to a long-term contract in BS7, and Evans, too, is happy with his surroundings.
"The fans here are special," he said. "To feel wanted and loved is important as a player and the first time I had that in my career was last year with Rovers, so it was a big factor in staying here.
"It’s massive. Coming off the back of last season, getting so many games and playing the best I’ve played in my career, it is the perfect place for me at the moment. Long may it continue, me playing well, winning games and hopefully we can shoot up the table
"To go anywhere else would be a major risk. It’s starting again, but knowing the relationship I had here with the fans, the lads and the gaffer, and the project ahead is really interesting, so I was glad to commit."
Evans was Rovers' talisman on several occasions last season; he scored several winning goals and he was among a core of players who delivered a heroic performance in the 7-0 win over Scunthorpe United on the final day to clinch promotion, scoring two sensational goals.
In League Two, the 24-year-old was one of the first names on the teamsheet, but his place in the starting XI is not as secure this season. He has still started 11 of the 13 games in the league, but with Evans not producing the same consistency – admittedly amid a difficult run for the whole team until an upturn in form in the past fortnight – and a change in style that has made Rovers more direct in their approach play, a starting jersey is not guaranteed.
That was shown on Tuesday when, despite a strong performance in the win over Cambridge United on Saturday, Evans was dropped to the bench. Nowadays, Barton's midfield options are very deep with Sam Finley, Paul Coutts, and summer signings Jordan Rossiter and Luke McCormick competing strongly for starting spots and Evans was one of the men to miss out.
He responded accordingly, though, converting from the penalty spot 14 minutes from time to lead the Gas to a 1-0 win at Stadium MK. He says he put his pride aside to do what was needed for the team, although his hunger to play week in, week out is evident.
"It’s healthier for the gaffer, he’s got more options," Evans said of the heightened competition for places in the squad. "You could say it’s healthier for the squad with competition among the lads, but at the end of the day everybody wants to play in there, so sometimes there may be a little animosity at not playing, but I think the gaffer picks a team on what he thinks is going to win a football match.
"For me, it’s (being dropped) not what you want to hear when you’ve played well at the weekend and you’ve picked up the three points, but you’ve got to step outside the bubble and wonder why he’s doing it. It’s not a personal attack, it’s what he thinks is best for the team.
"You’ve got to push your pride aside and come off the bench and score the winning penalty."
The shift in style, relying more on the physical traits of strikers Ryan Loft and Josh Coburn with the dynamic Aaron Collins working off them, has proven effective for the Gas in recent weeks. But there is plenty of ball-playing talent in Barton's squad, Evans included, and he believes Rovers will incorporate more fluidity into their play as time goes by.
He said: "With the lads we’ve had missing, we’ve had to tinker with the formation and me playing wing-back is not where I want to play, but I’ve had to do a job for the team and other lads have had to do similar stuff. When the lads are fully back fit, you’ll see the best of all of us.
"Last year we were 4-3-3 and we trained it religiously every day, so even if lads were missing, the lads on the bench could come straight in and know what they were doing. This season, it’s been chopping and changing a little bit because the gaffer has been trying things to pick up points, but over time it will settle.
"At the minute, it’s trying to find a way to pick up points. Eventually, once we settle and we get everyone back, we will play a bit more stylish football than what we have. It’s a case of getting picked and once you’re playing, doing a job for the team and then trying to flourish in the moments you can."
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