Sam Finley believes Joey Barton's confidence as manager is a huge driving force as Bristol Rovers eye a late surge towards the League Two play-offs.
Despite rarely hitting top form, the Gas have scrapped their way into contention for the top seven, with Tuesday's convincing 2-0 win over Sutton United perhaps their most convincing display of the season so far.
Barton has been bullish throughout the season that Rovers will achieve their aim of an immediate return to League One after relegation last year, although the manager has this week accepted time is running out for the Gas with 17 games of the campaign remaining.
But midfield maestro Finley says Barton's confidence in the changing room has never waned and it has rubbed off on the players.
The manager has pleaded for positivity around the club in recent weeks, with an open letter to supporters last week urging Gasheads for "no negativity" at the Mem.
"It’s massive and hasn’t gone back on his word," the 29-year-old said. "I know him quite well as a person and I knew he wouldn’t go back on his word.
"I said it myself on day one in my first interview about my aims and hopes for the season and I said ‘To get the club promoted’ because I wouldn’t have come here otherwise. I wouldn’t have dropped down a division to come and play and be happy in League Two.
"We’ve all got aspirations to go as high as we possibly can and the players he brought to the club are all on the same page with that. We don’t settle for anything less and I don’t blame him for coming out and saying that.
"He said it at Exeter (after a 4-1 defeat in August) and I saw all the tweets saying ‘Is he insane?’ We’ll see at the end of the season."
Finley was one of several players to deliver a fine performance against Sutton and he believes Rovers' display is the blueprint for how to approach the rest of the season.
"Miles better," Finley said after going winless in the three previous games. "I thought we were brilliant, on the front foot from the off, getting on the ball and passing the ball well, and turning them when we needed to.
"We thoroughly deserved the win and it could’ve been more, but we’ll take it. We were in full control of the game. Maybe we could have been more patient in the final third rather than trying to score every time we got to the edge of the box, but I’m sure it will come.
"The feeling around the place feels a lot better and everyone’s pulling in the right direction and I’m sure we’ll get there.
"There is a great feeling around the place with the fans, and, as the gaffer keeps saying, if the fans get on board this can be a special club. He tells us all the time in the changing rooms about selling out Wembley for the Conference play-off final.
"That’s unheard of. You don’t get 40,000-45,000 in the Conference play-off final, it just doesn’t happen.
"I think the lads are starting to realise how big of a club this can be and if we do get on a good run, this place will be even better than it has been lately."
Rovers' growing confidence is typified by Aaron Collins surge into form. After failing to score in his first 18 games for the Gas, the 24-year-old has risen to the top of the scoring charts with eight goals, including a sublime finish to double the lead on Tuesday.
Finley, one of the leaders in a squad that has leaned increasingly on younger players, was certain Collins would eventually come good in the blue and white quarters.
Finley, a big Liverpool fan, explained: "I think (Mohamed) Salah scored a goal very similar to it with his weak foot for Liverpool and gets all rave reviews. Azza’s just scored a goal like that and people probably won’t talk about it as much as Salah, but it was a great finish from distance.
"It’s not as easy as it looks on an angle like that from that far out, but it was some finish and he worked his socks off for us today.
"He was quality for us leading the line. He’s not the biggest physically, but he challenged for every header against their two big centre-halves and didn’t give them a minute on the ball. He was brilliant, Aaron.
"I’m made up for him. I always knew he was a good player. He was on a bit of a drought at the start of the season, but the team was on a bit of a drought back then. You can’t really blame him personally, I thought we weren’t giving him that much service, we weren’t as free-flowing and we weren’t as settled as a side.
"Now we’re getting there and he’s had the service, he’s on a great run of form and long may it continue."
Another player that has caught Finley's eye is Newcastle United loanee Elliot Anderson, who has been impressive in his three appearances since signing for the Gas on deadline day and registered his first senior assist in setting up namesake Harry Anderson for the opening goal.
"He’s already got the confidence and it proved he’s at a Premier League club," Finley said. "It was the same when I was Accrington. There was a lad called Dan Barlaser who came on loan from Newcastle and he’s playing for Rotherham now.
"He was quality and he had the same attributes as Elliot. Elliot is probably a bit shorter and sharper and neater with his feet, but you can see out there he is demanding the ball all the time, even in tight spaces and I think he’s going to kick on and be a very good player for us.
"It’s nice to have him in the midfield with me and, to be fair, all of our midfielders are the same. We’ve got Antony Evans to come back after a little bit of a rest, Paul Coutts is an unbelievable footballer and Glenn Whelan coming off the bench.
"Tonight was so much better and the whole place feels it when you’re passing people off the pitch."
Anyone who has watched Finley play regularly will have quickly concluded that he has never lacked confidence on a football pitch, and he thinks that his teammates now share the same belief that they can achieve success this season.
"Personally, I’ve had that belief since coming into the club on day one, but it’s easier at my age and looking back, we needed to get the belief into the younger players that they are good players," the midfielder concluded.
"They have gone out and proved that and now we can go on a run. As we spoke about with Aaron Collins, once you get that confidence and the wind behind your back you can go anywhere you want to go."
SIGN UP: For our newsletter to receive more exclusive Bristol Rovers content
