Joey Barton carried an element of regret with him on Saturday that, while the rollicking 2-2 draw with Plymouth Argyle was another visceral delight for the Bristol Rovers fans, he hadn’t quite delivered another memorable moment at the home of the Gas.
You can’t fault the man’s ambition as while, yes, points are paramount, his constant desire is to excite and inspire and give everyone present inside the Mem something to remember far beyond the 90 minutes in question.
It happened in BS7 against Oxford United in the FA Cup and, of course, Scunthorpe United, while on the road Rovers have forever burnished the memories of Rochdale and Port Vale in the brains of supporters who were present.
But the point against the Pilgrims was still a special occasion for all concerned, even before taking into consideration the elevated status of the opposition and what that means for the Gas moving forward. Here are the moments missed from Rovers’ best performance of the season so far…
Game recognise game
Joey Barton was his usual open and honest self before the game when he confirmed that Rovers had pursued the possibility of loaning Finn Azaz for the 2022/23 season from Aston Villa but after delivering their pitch on Zoom, were beaten to the punch by Plymouth Argyle.
After being a little bit underwhelmed by his two performances for Newport County last season against the Gas, Rovers fans were given some pretty conclusive evidence as to why that would have been a smart piece of business with the Pilgrims playmaker laying on a clinic in BS7, particularly in the first half.
Azaz was outstanding at the Mem; the way he used the ball in possession, always willing to receive it tight areas as he popped up across a number of areas in the final third with Rovers unable to contain his moment at times. Devilishly difficult to tackle, the 22-year-old also used the possession he had with real purpose. And then there was, of course, his goal.
Despite murmurings in the terraces that it, “was definitely a cross”, there was zero debate after the game from staff and players, in blue and white as well as green, that once he began to swung his left boot, his intention was to find the top corner of James Belshaw’s net, as opposed to the head of a Plymouth striker.
Game recognise game, as the old saying goes, and amidst the pride in his team and appreciation for the home support, Barton also made a beeline for Azaz on the pitch, to share his appreciation of the No18’s performance.
Rovers’ walking wounded
Some managers have little time for injured players. As they’re not part of the squad, and unable to impact the matchday 18, there’s no reason to concern yourself with them, until they regain fitness and graduate from the medical department into the first-team environment.
Rovers have certainly had their fair share of injuries across the campaign, a significant contributor to their challenging start, with key individuals in and out of the treatment room and now allowing for any sense of cohesion in the squad.
That could be a reason why Barton isn’t a head coach to give his walking wounded the cold shoulder and keeping them around the group, because although they’re not able to help their teammates on the field or compete against them on the training pitch, their personalities and presence still allow them to make some degree of impact and, as an extension of that, when they return it feels more natural.
The theme continued on Saturday at the Mem as striker John Marquis, who trained last week having been out for five games with a knee injury, was among the matchday 18 for the warm-up, even though he’s not quite yet fit to play. But presumably that moment isn’t too far in the future and the 30-year-old is being eased back gradually rather than being thrust straight into action.
Centre-back James Connolly, who hasn’t played since August 20 because of a stress fracture in his back, was also present, as he was at Cheltenham Town the previous Saturday, in a bench coat and engaging in conversation with many of his colleagues as he watched proceedings from the entrance to the tunnel.
Goalkeeper Jed Ward, who’s been on loan at Hungerford Town but the 19-year-old broke his hand last month, was also assuming a similar role, keeping the teenager involved.
But perhaps the most profound example of all this was Paul Coutts, who injured his ankle in training on Thursday, but donning a protective boot and on crutches, the Scot hobbled across the pitch to take his place in the dugout for the duration of the game while also sat in the dressing room during the half-time interval.
Defensive drills
A consistent part of Rovers’ pre-match repertoire is the defensive warm-up which was conducted by Kevin Bond, but since his departure has been rotated between Danny Ventre and Glenn Whelan.
Essentially the back four, or back three, line up in a very closed-in version of their intended formation, and then the designated coach either sends in lofted balls or pings in drilled passes at random to one of them to deal with, while the other defenders around him then maintaining shape and the overall line.
It not only allows each of the defenders to get a sense of sharpness and familiarity of the ball before kick-off but also tries to build as much familiarity with having one said individual either to your right or left shoulder.
There has been a subtle twist to the pattern over the last couple of games with the introduction of Jordan Rossiter. Now when the defender has to either head or pass the ball clear, their target isn’t just space, it’s now the Rovers No14. So Rossiter stands facing the coach, once the pass is played into the defence, he immediately turns around and is there to receive the ball before playing it forward.
It’s an extension of the overall exercise and helps build a sense of understanding between the centre-backs and full-backs that their first port of call in the game is likely to be the designated defensive midfielder, in this case Rossiter.
There was also another individual to lend a hand in the form of club nutritionist James Aitken, who was also jogging around collecting loose balls to feed into Whelan to keep the rhythm of the drill going.
Barton’s signal to supporters
Much like the pre-match routines, it’s become tradition for Barton to celebrate a win in front of the Thatchers End with a delated fist pump as that part of the ground builds the noise to a crescendo.
Except, as we know, Saturday wasn’t a win and despite the vibrant atmosphere at full-time after Rovers had gone toe-to-toe with the leagues leaders, and could well have won the game, the manager saluted the Mem crowd but rejected the chance for a fist pump despite the wishes of the home fans.
Instead Barton motioned with his arms up and down to thank them for their support over the 90 minutes, without wanting to be fully committed to his celebration.
Because while Rovers did upset the odds to an extent by stopping the Plymouth machine in BS7, they didn’t win the game and it was only a point, and it speaks to the ambition within the group that, yes, while welcome, they want to be beating such teams. And, mores to the point, the Gas played well enough to win the game, such was their dominance in the second half.
It spoke further volumes during his post-match press conference that the first thing Barton said as he sat down in front of journalists, all of which saying what a brilliant occasion and complimenting him on his team, was: “we should have won the game”.
There was pride, undoubtedly, and a small amount of satisfaction but no sense of triumph in his voice.
The view from the other side
The travelling fans certainly added a lot to the atmosphere at the Mem and, up to a point, there was a danger that the second half would be dominated by their casual celebrations, not dissimilar to how the Gas had been at Cheltenham in the previous week.
Taking a 2-0 lead into the next lot of 45 minutes would have been a welcome cushion for the Green Army as the second of their smoke grenades died down and they looked forward to more of the same after the break.
Except out came Rovers to flip the dynamic of the game on its head, and reinvigorate the home support, whereby the Mem properly came alive, sucking the ball into the Thatchers End as best they could.
Both Barton and Rossiter noted after the match how strong the crowd had been and it was a part of the game not lost on the Plymouth bench, with the Rovers boss claiming that Mark Hughes and Steven Schumacher had told him their players very visibly buckled under all that noise.
In amongst the Plymouth support was also noted YouTuber and FIFA streamer, and former Big Brother contestant, Jack ‘Pieface’ McDermott - often a go-to person on Twitter for Rovers fans to mock all things Plymouth.
He delivered his take on the afternoon to his 300k followers, from the corner of where the East Stand meets the South Stand: “That’s a good point considering how ridiculous they were second half. Up the Greens.”
SIGN UP: To receive our free Rovers newsletter, bringing you the latest from the Mem
READ NEXT:
