Bristol Rovers’ good run came to an end in South Wales with defeat to Newport County. Victory against Barrow, though, earlier in the week ensured the Gas lost little ground and kept themselves in the hunt for promotion.
Barrow was a match we simply had to win to show our intent in the promotion race. Rovers did just that, but it wasn’t easy. We’ve found it difficult to play with or against 10 men this season, but thankfully that trend was reversed.
We showed we’ve learnt from previous mistakes in how we played after the red card. In the previous fixture between the two sides, we lacked a plan to deal with the advantage. This time round, we played with a clear purpose. To beat 10 men you need to have patience, stick at the task and move the ball quickly.
We used the full width of the pitch and the experience of Glenn Whelan ensured we didn’t give up on what was required. His passing was slick all night and he was rewarded with an assist for his endeavours. Eyebrows were raised when he was signed in the summer, but those doubters are nowhere to be seen now.
Whilst we stuck to our plan of moving the ball around quickly and making Barrow work, it was plan B that grabbed the points. Cometh the hour, cometh the man… step forward Antony Evans and take a bow sir. The former Everton Under-23 captain knew something different was required to beat an inspired visiting ‘keeper and it was a strike right out of the top drawer.
He had one thing on his mind when he received the ball from Whelan, and so did I – you just knew the ball was ending up in the net. It was his pinpoint pass that led to the red card, and his finish that won the tie. It’s this kind of quality that wins games for Rovers, even when we’re not playing well.
We had James Belshaw and the woodwork to thank for the points too. Rovers’ No1 has been a revelation since joining in the summer and added to his highlight reel with inspired saves in the closing stages. Barrow had nothing to lose and threw the kitchen sink at Rovers, but Belshaw palmed it away. The Cumbrians will be disheartened to take nothing away from North Bristol after a resilient showing, but luck was ultimately on our side.
Rovers had maintained momentum and closed the gap on those above them. Two points stood between us and the play-offs and the picture looked much prettier after the final whistle. The form table is not the one Rovers want to be sat at the top of though and we had a great chance to move upwards in the league table against Newport on Saturday.
It was a difficult game to watch as a Rovers fan after the goal. The opening phases of the game were balanced, the game ebbed and flowed but Newport struck when it mattered. The goal seemed to unsettle us and we just couldn’t get going.
Nothing seemed to click for Rovers. Every final ball was just off, decisive passes were just behind the man and our the end product wasn't there. Collins looked isolated, Nicholson forgot his shooting boots and our midfield didn’t impose themselves on the game.
Newport were more efficient and Rovers weren’t effective in dealing with their game plan. They played balls into channels, made some neat reverse passes to get into our box and possessed more threat than us. They were deserved victors and Rovers will kick themselves that they couldn’t get going. A slicker, faster Rovers could have taken something from that game.
I felt our tactics were strange at times. We played plenty of long balls to the wings, but Sam Nicholson and Harry Anderson aren’t the tallest and were beaten in the air. I don’t have an issue with long balls when required, but we should notice when they don’t work and try out different tactics.
Leaving Sam Finley on the bench was a strange decision too, unless illness was still an issue. He is integral to our play and has both the tenacity and quality to give us the upper hand in games. Perhaps Barton couldn’t leave Evans and Elliot Anderson out, but Evans is less effective further back and needs to be on the ball further forward.
Nicholson was perhaps the one that could have made way. He has played a lot this season and could benefit from a rest that brought Harry Anderson back to good form. His running and take-ons are incredibly effective, but his end product is not of late.
Despite that though, he still has six goals and five assists and any goal contributions he makes before the end of the season will see Gasheads forget about his current barren spell.
That cutting edge that dug us out of the Barrow-sized hole on Tuesday was not there on Saturday. We lacked cohesion, Newport didn’t and we deserved to lose. That is not fatal to our chances, but we must ensure that this defeat is a mere blot in the copybook just as we did after Oldham.
Despite losing in South Wales, we haven’t lost too much ground in the race for the top. It was inevitable that we would lose at some point and thankfully we have stayed in the same position. We can control our own fate to some respect, with plenty of fixtures against those around us representing an opportunity to take points from our rivals.
It won’t be easy though and Barton will be keen to bounce back from defeat against Crawley. This is our last game in hand and we need to make it count. A win in Sussex gives us the opportunity to close the gap further and take things back into our control.
Our opposition on Tuesday have drawn their last two and failed to score against basement side Scunthorpe on the weekend. They have shown their capabilities in beating Forest Green though and Rovers will need to be much better to take three points from this game. More familiar faces will be on display in Tony Craig and Tom Nichols and Rovers will hope neither are in good form this week.
When you leave your promotion push so late, it is always going to be a rollercoaster ride. Rovers are now getting into the realms of do or die and need to show some real spirit to have a positive week. A positive week can regain momentum, but anything short of 6 points against Crawley and Harrogate can also break our season.
These are the games that top players want to be playing in though – as Barton says, pressure is a privilege. There are no easy games at this stage of the season and we need to be up for the fight. Beat Crawley and Harrogate, and we could be in the top seven for the first time this season. Rovers must now channel that pressure into results again and I’m backing us to do just that.
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