The Bristol Rovers juggernaut carried on rolling after a real fight in South London. The Gas escaped Sutton with a point and plenty of bruises as a Saturday afternoon battle ended level.
When line-ups were released, I was pleased to see us stick with four at the back. There was much talk of reverting to a three ahead of kick-off, given suspensions and injuries. But we’d found stability and success with a back four, and that formation allows us to commit more men forward in attack. It also allows one more attacker on the pitch, which in turn allows more of our best players to play.
Sutton made it difficult for us on Saturday. In strong winds, their direct tactics caused us issues from the off. An inexperienced backline looked hesitant, made to deal with long balls and physical tactics.
They stationed men between Rovers’ lines, gaining footholds from winning second balls and stopped us from playing football. Tellingly, the only area of the pitch in which we looked stable was in defensive midfield, with the experience and nous of Glenn Whelan and Paul Coutts showing calmness on the ball.
If Sutton made it hard for Rovers, then Rovers made it even harder for themselves. James Connolly’s naivety gave away a needless free kick, pulling an opposition forward’s shirt when they were running away from goal.
Then Anssi Jaakkola inexplicably ventured into no mans’ land for the resulting cross and helplessly watched the ball trickle past him into the net. The Big Finn will be disappointed with his early showing, not coming for balls which James Belshaw would have, and contributing to a shaky showing from the backline.
When we finally got a grip on the game we posed Sutton some questions. Aaron Collins sprayed balls left and right from a central position and caused problems with runs across lines.
Rovers could have the equaliser late in the first half had Bobby Madley not bafflingly pulled play back for a foul when Nick Anderton was in down the left-hand side. Antony Evans rattled the woodwork from the resulting free kick and Sutton looked as rattled as the cross-bar when the whistle blew.
Credit to Rovers, they worked hard to get the ball down and play round Sutton. But it was hard work for them too and at times, there was too little movement ahead of them, forcing Coutts to go backwards. Rovers could have had much more joy had they run the channels better, with quicker and more aggressive passing to transition into the attacking phase.
Elliot Anderson can be pleased with his debut. I was excited to see what he could bring to the team, and he showed he has a distinct calmness on the ball in advanced situations. He played a bright 1-2 with Luke Thomas and almost brought our equaliser had his colleagues beaten Sutton to his chip over the keeper. He looks a great talent and hopefully he’ll get plenty of minutes to shine this season.
Harry Anderson’s introduction was the turning point for Rovers. His running to win the penalty was akin to the never say die running of Harvey Saunders, chasing a seemingly lost cause and drawing the foul from Dean Bouzanis in the opposition goal. How Bouzanis didn’t receive a second yellow card for his tackle is anyone’s guess.
Credit where it’s due though, Madley had the best performance we’ve seen by an official all season, if you leave out his failure to play-on late in the first half.
He was wise to the age-old tricks of players backing into or ducking under players who were going for headers and reffed the game without trying to stamp his authority on it. The latter seems to be a rarity in League Two these days. I wonder if Joey Barton has sent a nice text to Mike Jones for a change…
Evans’ cool finish makes that 15 goals and assists for the season. He’s eighth in the league’s assist charts, which is all the more impressive given he’s played up to seven games less than those at the top. He also averages nearly two big chances per 90 minutes according to BBC Sport, which is a strong return for a midfielder. Get that contract out, leave it blank and let him write whatever he wants in it.
Jaakkola deserves a mention here too. Despite his hand in the opening goal of the game, we’d have left London empty handed if it wasn’t for his last-minute saves.
He got down well to deny one Sutton shot, but more impressively beat away a swerving shot from the follow-up with two Rovers heads in front of him part blocking his view. He was always going to be rusty, but still showed his shot-stopping pedigree when it mattered most.
Those saves ensure the Rovers train rolls on towards the top half of the league. We sit 13th now, but importantly have form and games in hand up our sleeve.
We retain third place in the form table and haven’t lost in five games. That kind of momentum is really important at this stage of the season and we can continue to build on that going forward.
It’s also a point away from home against one of the top teams in the division. We’ve also maintained distance to the play-offs, seven points shy with several games in hand. Sutton are now sitting pretty in the automatic places and Rovers can take confidence from the result. They may be a small name and may not play pretty football, but Sutton are right up there for a reason.
It’s time now to heal the battle scars from a well fought contest and get ourselves ready for a slog on Tuesday night. Another long trip for Gasheads sees us travel to Greater Manchester for a game we’ll be expected to win. That’ll be no easy task though, despite our hosts’ struggles. They’ve only lost one of their last five matches and with their league status on the line, they’ll be fighting for their lives, so Rovers can expect another battle.
I’m hopeful our injury list will shorten over the coming days. We could have done with the height and physicality of Ryan Loft on Saturday, and his aggressive pressing style will be an asset against Oldham should he return. Sam Finley cannot be too far away and players of his quality make all the difference in tough battles like these.
Should they not return though, our bench has shown us they have what it takes to change the game. Anderson and Saunders in particular stand out, with their pace and running proving skills that can break down tough defences.
Just look at our goals against Walsall and Sutton for evidence. Should Leon Clarke return, his experience could count for a lot and Anderson showed he has the qualities to impact on games too.
It was a frustrating game in many ways, but one that is a real positive for Rovers. Momentum has been maintained and that is vital going into the Oldham fixture.
Gasheads are in fine voice, the Rovers family are optimistic once more we’re looking up the league table rather than checking our rear-view mirror.
We must continue this good form on and off the pitch, and to do that we need nothing less than three points on Tuesday. Beat Oldham, and we’ll back ourselves at home against Mansfield.
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