Just three points is the deficit to the League Two play-offs as Bristol Rovers' surge continued at Leyton Orient on Tuesday night, and another vital box was ticked off in their development.
Without being at their best, particularly in the second half, the Gas managed to make the most of their moments of quality as Antony Evans and Aaron Collins struck with a quickfire double in the space of three minutes after the half hour in the capital.
The sense of belief exuding from the away section was palpable at Brisbane Road, with Gasheads starting to dream of the possibilities with 15 games to go. This was a night where Joey Barton's Rovers showed just how far they have come from the depths of despair the last time the two sides met and on the current trajectory, their climb up the League Two table is nowhere near finished.
A hunter’s mentality
The hunt for the top seven and beyond is well and truly on and the Gas have shown a new ruthless streak in recent matches.
After scoring the second goal at Stevenage on Saturday, Rovers did not sit back and protect their lead. Instead, a third goal was on the agenda and the Gas swarmed Paul Tisdale’s side until it promptly arrived.
They continued in the same vein at Leyton Orient, striking twice in three first half minutes to take command. Evans broke the game open against the run of play with a moment of familiar class from the returning talisman, and with Orient’s confidence desperately low the Gas grabbed the chance to deal further damage that ultimately proved fatal to the Os’ chances on the night and Kenny Jackett’s tenure.
They had no intention of slowing the play down and keeping things tight after taking the lead, with Harry Anderson powering forward and feeding the run of Sam Nicholson, whose show was parried into the path of the gleeful Collins who snaffled the simple chance from close range.
In that moment, Orient could not live with Rovers and Barton’s side capitalised on that opportunity. In several games on the road, Rovers have been punished for not scoring a second goal when they are in the ascendancy, but they are a different beast these days and they weren't going to let this chance go.
At this rate, Rovers will soon break into the top seven and the hunter will become the hunted, but it is essential the Gas retain the opportunistic, aggressive mindset that has underpinned their recent upturn in form and performance and new-found ability to blow teams away.
New traits
Gasheads woke up on Wednesday morning savouring the rare taste of back-to-back away wins that have gone a long way to forcing Rovers into play-off contention.
Both victories are equally valuable in regards to the points tally, but they came in an entirely different fashion.
At Stevenage, the travelling support were treated to almost entire domination over the 90 minutes with chances carved out at will and Boro perhaps fortunate only to concede four to a rampant Rovers side.
On Tuesday, the Gas did the job in a different way. Orient may be on even worse form than Stevenage, but they were fuelled by a feeling of desperation that made for several tricky moments for Rovers. The Gas had to sit back at times, particularly in the second half, and much of their good play came in moments and bursts, rather than the control that was enjoyed against Sutton and Stevenage.
Signs of fatigue were creeping in, but Rovers were able to muster enough quality to get the job done and a second wind arrived in the final minutes to ensure Orient had no route back into the game.
The game management in the second half, on the whole, was pretty good. Some cheap free-kicks were given up in dangerous positions but the Gas defended the dead ball well enough to mean it was not a problem.
And although they were lucky not to concede when Harry Smith made a mess of a chance inside the six-yard box with the goal gaping, Rovers' ever-improving defensive record is a crucial progression in their development into a rounded team.
Connolly's vital role in the system
Rovers took something of a risk in signing an unknown quantity in James Connolly in January, with the centre-back only making his debut in senior football on the day completed his loan move to the club from Cardiff City.
But that acquisition – made by Barton after tracking his progress in under-23s football at Cardiff and Blackburn Rovers previously – is paying off handsomely, with the 20-year-old adjusting to the physical challenge with each passing game.
Defensive partner Connor Taylor, only 20 years old himself, has helped Connolly through some of his early tests in a Rovers shirt, but the latter was the defensive leader at Brisbane Road. With Taylor slightly off colour and responsible for a couple of chances given to Orient, Connolly delivered his most complete performance yet.
Any performance is built on the defensive basics, and he did those expertly, winning the headers he had to win and clearing the balls he had to clear.
But it was his play in possession that enabled Rovers to stretch the field in the first half. He was the' most comfortable defender on the ball in E10 and his willingness to receive it and play around the press sent the Gas on several attacks and took the sting out of an opposition tasked with getting after Rovers. All the more impressive when considering he is playing at left centre-back when he is right-footed.
Despite that, he is advancing the play on both feet and consequently is having a big impact on the game at both ends of the pitch.
Tables turned
At the lowest ebb of Rovers' early-season struggles, the crowd was disconnected from the team. The atmosphere was anxious and the players were suffering, struggling to get Gasheads onside. The Orient game in September was one of those moments, with the Gas and Barton booed off the pitch after a disjointed performance that left supporters with no choice but to engage in gallows humour on a miserable afternoon.
The return fixture was an indicator of just how far the Gas have come on and off the pitch in the five months since. Orient were miles ahead of Rovers in football terms at the time with their strikers scoring freely and automatic promotion not out of the question, but the Gas have rapidly overtaken the Os since the turn of the year.
Barton's job may have been in doubt after the first fixture – Barton offered to walk away although Wael Al-Qadi never had any intention of sacking him – but it was Jackett who was fired at full time. Credit to the former Portsmouth manager, he still had the class to shake hands and wish Barton well after learning his fate.
The 880 travelling Gasheads were fully engaged well before kick-off, with the full songbook getting a good airing before the game had even begun, and the sense of belief in the away section was spilling onto the pitch once the game got underway.
Fans now believe almost anything is possible in the final 15 games, showing just how far Rovers have come from a side that inspired little positive feeling after the poor start to the season.
Some selection
Even if the season were to end tomorrow, Rovers’ goal of the season compilation would have plenty of material to work with.
Very much an indicator of the individual quality in the squad, the Gas have scored some special goals this season that will not be quickly forgotten.
Cian Harries set the tone on the opening day with his volley at Mansfield and his teammates have followed impressive style.
Evans, Sam Finley and Collins have a couple of entries each, with the former adding to his scrapbook on Tuesday with another picture-perfect strike. He gave Lawrence Vigouroux no chance with his 25-yard curler.
A goal is a goal, whether it’s from under the crossbar or from the halfway line, but it must be another source of confidence for Barton that he knows his players can conjure moments of magic and score from a wide variety of situations.
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