After seven long weeks, Bristol Rovers were back to winning ways on Saturday with a 3-0 success over Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium. Both team's dreadful form ahead of the contest suggested they would be evenly matched, but Joey Barton's side were by far the better in the big moments.
Gasheads have had to wait a while for something to celebrate, enduring some ugly performances along the way, but their team took a big step back in the right direction after losing their way since their previous win at Cambridge United on January 7, losing five of the following six League One games.
First-half goals from Scott Sinclair and Aaron Collins eased the nerves and Barton's side managed the game effectively to put victory within sight before Luca Hoole added a finishing touch with a brilliant header with 15 minutes to play.
While there was plenty for Rovers to celebrate, it was a much gloomier afternoon for Oxford and their fans, resembling a broken fanbase with long periods of silence punctuated by outbursts of rage, frustration and demands for change. Those wishes were granted the day after the game with head coach Karl Robinson getting the sack, and here are some of the moments you may have missed as the Gas made his game day in charge a miserable one.
Belshaw stamps his authority
The big talking point before kick-off was the recall of James Belshaw to the starting XI after January signing Ellery Balcombe started the previous five games with varying degrees of success. Barton says his intent when signing the Brentford prospect was to increase the competition for the goalkeeper position, and while that has happened, a sideshow was created in the process.
It has been obvious that a significant proportion of Gasheads were unhappy with the decision to drop the reigning player of the season, with his name sung from the terraces in several games. He was also left out of squad for the 0-0 draw with Ipswich Town on February 14 after Barton cited a dip in the 32-year-old's training levels.
But he has since come back into the fold and Belshaw – a hero of last season's promotion to League One – has forced his way back into the team. Explaining the decision, Barton said he made up his mind in his review of the defeat to Burton Albion on February 18, although the competition is still open.
A factor in the decision surely was the apprehension caused in the stadium by a couple of unconvincing moments from Balcombe – who in fairness has had a really difficult hand presented to him with significant added pressure on his shoulders from day one, such is Belshaw's popularity and status among the fanbase – with his preference of punching crosses rather than catching them unsettling Gasheads in the final outing of his five-match starting stint.
Back in the XI, Belshaw used his differing style to good effect. After an early burst of half-chances, Oxford created very little, but Belshaw's sure handling from crosses and a miscued delivery from Sam Long that ballooned high into the swirling wind and threatened to land in the net made sure there was a more confident air about the team.
As one of the few players in the squad aged older than 30, his communication and leadership are an asset, too, and he made sure standards were not allowed to slip with Rovers 2-0 up at the end of the first half. A wide free-kick was curled into the box and it looked like a moment of danger was developing until the offside flag put paid to the Oxford attack.
Nonetheless, Belshaw was enraged that the Gas had lost their marking assignments in a key moment before half time, and he was not afraid to deliver a few home truths. A small but significant contribution as he aims to lock down the starting spot once again.
Finley's little touches make a big difference
Sometimes, a player's importance to the team is overestimated when they are not available through injury or suspension, but that is not the case for Sam Finley, who turned in an excellent performance in his first game back from a three-match ban for violent conduct.
The midfielder has a rare blend of quality and aggression for a player at this level, meaning he can impact the game in all phases and, as always, he did more than his fair share of the dirty work to ensure the Gas won the midfield battle and protected their lead.
But the quality of Rovers' play in possession had declined significantly in the seven-game winless run going into this game and they were in need of a steadying presence in the middle of the park to get the ball, and thus the game, under control.
Finley was the man for the task, and it is his press resistance which makes him so important to Rovers in possession. His ability to instinctively detect spaces and escape routes when tacklers are converging before turning away with nifty first-time flicks is very important in helping Rovers control the ball, as they did in the first half at the Kassam Stadium when the game was effectively won.
A master of levitation
Speaking of Finley, there was a bit more magic on display, although this time it did not emanate from the 30-year-old's boots.
All goals in a victory must feel good for the person who gets the decisive final touch, but celebrating in front of a packed away section was the stuff of dreams for a 20-year-old like Hoole.
With his goal all but clinching a long-awaited win for the Gas, naturally, he was mobbed by his joyful teammates, and the Welshman must have felt 10ft tall.
That was literally the case, too, and Hoole didn't initially understand why he was so high in the air, joking in his interview with club media that he thought he was levitating.
It turns out it was Finley's deceptive strength to lift Hoole up on his shoulders. The result? A few laughs and some brilliant pictures that he will doubtless treasure.
Gasheads play the role of cheerleaders
With belief staggeringly low in the home sections of the Kassam Stadium, there were very few moments of collective support, even when the game was in the balance in the first half or when Oxford put up a spirited effort at the start of the second.
So at 3-0 down, the atmosphere descended from uncomfortable to toxic. A banner calling for Robinson's departure was unfurled just in front of the press benches, and there were various chants demanding the same outcome.
At one point, the travelling fans were conducting this orchestra of anger. "Sacked in the morning," they mocked, only for the Oxford fans to join in. That was not the only instance, with another chant laden with expletives also emanating from the away fans before being repeated with gusto by the home crowd.
Harmony between Rovers and Oxford fans in a stadium; that be a first.
Robinson's pained exit
Throughout the 90 minutes, it was impossible not to consider the human impact of the ordeal Robinson faced on the touchline as his own supporters turned on him, with one person in the press section comparing it to the ire Paul Buckle faced as his dismal tenure at the Mem came to an end in 2012.
So it is strange to thing that a tenure so disastrous prompted the same reaction as one of relative success for Robinson at the Kassam, making them play-off contenders for several seasons.
With the feeling in the ground, though, his position was untenable and it was no surprise to see confirmation of the head coach's departure on Sunday morning.
Sitting in the car park on my laptop getting some work done before heading back along the M4, Robinson could be seen leaving the ground and getting in his black 4x4. As he slowly trundled towards the exit, his head sunk into his hands.
Perhaps he had already been told his time was up, or perhaps he was wondering how on earth he could turn it around. Either way, it was a revealing insight into the rollercoaster of football management. This was a brutal low.
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