Although keen to emphasise it was only a friendly, played in the serene surroundings of Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, Joey Barton believes Bristol Rovers’ 3-1 friendly win over the Premier League side has had a clear and visible impact on the morale and confidence of his squad, particularly in defence and attack.
Rovers beat Unai Emery’s side in a behind-closed-doors encounter two Fridays ago in the midst of what has been a peculiar near three-week break for the Gas due to the postponement of their fixtures against Shrewsbury Town and Plymouth Argyle.
Having rested a number of key first-team players, the 90 minutes in the Midlands allowed some of the more fringe members of the squad or those who have been out of the starting XI due to indifferent form the chance to play their way back into contention.
