Joey Barton is delighted to have a stronger squad to choose from for Bristol Rovers' trip to Oxford United on Saturday, with Lewis Gibson and Sam Finley back from injury and suspension respectively.
Centre-back Gibson has been sorely missed in defence. The 22-year-old has been out for seven games with a thigh injury and Rovers have taken four points from a possible 21 in that time, leaking goals in the process.
Finley, meanwhile, has sat out the past three games after being retrospectively punished for violent conduct in the defeat to MK Dons earlier this month, but the midfielder has served his time and is expected to come back into the starting XI as the Gas look to end a seven-game winless run in all competitions when they travel to the Kassam Stadium for an early kick-off on Saturday.
"They have trained this week, so they definitely improve the group and give us a couple of different options in there," Barton said. "They bring a lot more maturity.
"The way both of them play, you want them in your group and your team, especially when you are in a tough moment like we are now."
The return of Everton loanee Gibson, in particular, is a big boost for Barton because of the shortage of numbers and experience the Gas have at the back.
His 17 league appearances this season includes Rovers' best run of form in the autumn when they pushed into the top half of the table. Now in 16th, eight points clear of the bottom four, the manager believes, despite his age, Gibson is a crucial communicator in a defence which has often looked disorganised in his absence.
"He’s a leader," Barton added. "He is mature beyond his years and he is a real leader; he leads with his performance but also he leads the team with his communication and his tactical understanding of what the team is trying to do.
"He has been a big miss, him and Jordy Rossiter. They have been a huge miss for us and that happens in a football season, there are going to be seasons when the leadership types are out and when the tree is chopped down, it gives a new sapling a chance to grow into it.
"At this moment, that hasn’t happened at the level we would like it and we haven’t had the results to allow that to happen, so it is really pleasing when you get a player of Gibbo’s quality and leadership qualities back in your group."
His technical qualities, too, are a significant addition for a team that has not kept the ball in line with its usual standards of late, and Barton believes his left foot opens up better angles for the Gas to attack.
"It gets you a lot quicker ball if that’s a left-footer," Barton explained. "It means the players on the outside of him get a better ball which means their defence has to alter to that and it means the players on the inside get slightly different looks.
"You’re always searching for that symmetry and balance in the team and a left-footer on the left side will definitely help."
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