Bristol Rovers' trip to Portsmouth was always going to be an intriguing contest. The meeting of an ascendant Rovers after promotion with a Pompey side tipped for promotion in front of an 18,000-strong crowd certainly delivered an eventful afternoon on Saturday.
Rovers were on the back foot but battled hard to be on level terms at Fratton Park with 10 minutes to go before the game hinged on a pair of penalty claims put to referee Gavin Ward. There was debate over the merits of either claim, with Gas boss Joey Barton saying he could not see much difference, but Portsmouth's was awarded and Joe Pigott made it 2-1 before Aaron Collins' claim was turned down, much to Rovers' frustration.
Owen Dale's header in stoppage time made sure of the result in the closing stages of an incident-packed game. Here are some of the moments you may have missed.
Barton's deception
Barton is not averse to a discussion about tactics, as long as it doesn't get too deep into the nitty-gritty, demonstrated by his fair response to our question about his novel formation choice on Saturday.
The manager can be an open book sometimes, unafraid to speak his mind, but he is also partial to a spot of deception when it comes to the setup of his team.
The teamsheet prompted mass head-scratching in the away end and press box alike, with five central midfielders in the XI, but a solution presented itself as the warm-up neared its close. Rovers habitually do some work as a defensive line in their warm-ups and the clues on the pitch suggested it would be Jordan Rossiter playing on the right of a back four.
He joined Luca Hoole, James Connolly and Lewis Gibson with Kevin Bond, with Gibson taking up the role of left-back, so it seemed Barton had plumped for a back four.
But no, it was a bluff. Hoole, Connolly formed the back three in a very narrow shape designed to give Rovers plenty of cover in the centre of the pitch. Rossiter was upfield and performed impressively, covering huge amounts of ground in his 70-odd minutes on the pitch as he nears a return to full fitness.
Gibson and the dark arts
In his first interview as a Rovers player, Lewis Gibson was asked about his style as a defender. He was happy to discuss his abilities on the ball and his defensive instincts, but there was also an admission of his enjoyment of the more physical and niggly side of the game.
This was an impressive full debut from the 22-year-old Everton loanee. He was arguably Rovers' best player and Barton described him as a "Rolls Royce" after the game.
But there was a little glimpse of the dark arts he was discussing ahead of the game. He was the victim of a shirt pull by Dale in the first half and he was not happy about it as Rovers wanted to break in transition after winning the ball back. Gibson moved towards the referee and gestured for a yellow card to be produced.
The cards would stay in Mr Ward's pocket, and Gibson's gesture may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is an indication of his will to win.
Pass the paper
Rovers had their backs against the wall at Fratton Park as Pompey fed off the noise of the home crowd after taking the lead and created several chances. Rovers, meanwhile, were struggling to make the desired impression in the final third and tweaks were needed from the dugout.
In the 58th minute, Rossiter was seen sprinting away from the technical area with a scrap of paper with instructions scrawled on it. He read the note while he ran, relaying the piece of paper to captain Paul Coutts, who took a quick pause during the break in play to read the instructions from the coaching staff before scrunching it in his hand.
What the message was precisely is unknown, but Rovers did produce a moment of quality soon after. In the 61st minute, John Marquis forced an error from Sean Raggett and the striker's square ball was perfect for his strike partner to lash into the net.
Did the note have any instructions that led to the goal? That's a mystery, but it is a method Barton has not used before at Rovers.
Split loyalties, sort of
There was a spectator with links to both clubs in the stands on Saturday. Former Pompey and Rovers striker was in attendance to see the game. His current club, ninth-tier AFC Portchester, did not have a game at the weekend after losing 2-1 to Sholling in the FA Cup preliminary round on Friday.
With a rare Saturday off, Pitman returned to his former club to take in a game between two of his old employers. He had very different stints with each club, of course.
In 99 games with Pompey from 2017-2020, he scored 42 goals, with 25 coming in his stellar first season at Fratton Park, where he is fondly remembered.
He was less influential in his one-season stay with the Gas, scoring four goals in 18 appearances. He started as Barton's first-choice striker, but with the team struggling for cohesion he dropped to the bench before being loaned to National League Eastleigh for the rest of the season in February.
The 34-year-old was released by the Gas in May, but he still has plenty of respect for Barton and he would have had split allegiances between the teams on Saturday, although if he was asked to pick between the two sides logic would suggest Pompey would be his preferred winner.
Whelan's roar
Rovers midfielder Glenn Whelan doubtless will be gutted to learn of the scale of the injury suffered by Louis Thompson, with the Pompey midfielder suffering a double break to his fibula. Whelan was booked for the challenge and Barton took him off at half time amid fears the referee would produce a second yellow card for any further infringement.
But the Irishman was busy in his 45 minutes on the park. In his current role, remember, he is a coach first and a player second, but Barton has leaned on his experience in the opening games of the season with Rovers short of a few additions.
The 38-year-old shows his coaching instincts during games, often directing teammates to ensure they are meant to be. This time, though, it was more of an old-fashioned rollicking that he fired in Collins' direction.
To be fair, Collins was getting little change from Mr Ward in the first 45, with the striker adamant he had been fouled on more than one occasion. Whelan doubtless would have agreed, but as Collins stood appealing and gesticulating at the referee, the former Republic of Ireland regular urged him to focus on pressing Michael Morrison, the defender in possession.
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