Bristol Rovers maintained their play-off spot but lost two valuable points in the promotion race last week. No harm was done but an opportunity was missed as Barton’s men settled for a draw in the North West.
The week dragged again as we waited impatiently for another cup final to come around. Seven long days seemed like seven whole months without a Rovers game in sight. Tranmere would soon come, but so too would the nerves.
Rovers would have been confident ahead of kick-off. Their own form is strong and the performance against Bradford was fluent and dominant, even if the scoreline didn’t suggest that. Tranmere’s form was stuttering at best, failing to win each of their last three.
But it was pleasing to learn from Barton’s presser that he is focusing solely on our game rather than adapting for others in preparation for matches. That speaks volumes for the confidence we have in the building. So too did Barton’s summary of his recent scouting trip to Forest Green, in which he said the visit had only served to make him more confident in his team’s ability.
The return of Josh Grant and Nick Anderton to the matchday squad was a very welcome sight on Saturday. Grant’s presence on the bench provides more options positionally than several individuals combined. He also offers the ability to change formation during the game more flexibly than without him.
The 1,300 Gasheads were in fine voice in Birkenhead in another incredible showing of support. Taking that number consistently since the turn of the year just shows how amazing our fans our and how unwavering our support is. With two sold-out home games already this season, there will likely be several more sell-outs and we’ll take four figures to our remaining away games too. That really is quite something.
Those Gasheads would have been frustrated though at Rovers’ performance. With 68 per cent of the ball, we were dominant from start to finish. We were efficient in building play and getting into attacking areas and limited Tranmere to very little.
But there were too few real chances created. It’s hard to recall many gilt-edged opportunities that Rovers should have put away. That Leon Clarke’s scuffed shot from outside the box made the Quest highlight reel tells you all you need to know. Having that much of the ball and not creating enough will be a source of irritation for Barton. However, the fact we are frustrated at a dominant showing shows our high standards and recent performance levels.
At half time, Barton would have rallied his troops sensing the opportunity ahead of them. Tranmere had offered little, Rovers were getting the ball in promising positions and should really have been ahead for all their possession.
Somehow though, Rovers shot themselves in the foot with what can only be described as a very poor goal to concede. A route one ball from the keeper that was allowed to bounce is the definition of a nightmare for a defensive coach.
That is incredibly uncharacteristic defending from our two centre-backs though, who’ve been impeccable for many months. Mistakes are made every now and then and we can attach little blame to two players who have been superb for so long this season.
When this team needs a bit of magic, there is always one person on form to save the day. Collins, Finley, Evans, Harry Anderson and Elliot Anderson have all produced the goods when their team needed it most. As I’ve said several times before, finding the goal from nowhere when you’re not on top form is a characteristic of a top team.
This time, it was Elliot Anderson who came up with the goods. Had it been Salah, Mbappe or Messi that scored that goal, it would have been a goal of the month contender and waxed lyrical about by pundits far and wide. His goalscoring instinct is quite incredible.
As the ball came his way, he was already aware of the position of four Tranmere players. When he received it, he knew the only way he could go was away from goal. To have that awareness in the split second the ball came to him was brilliant, but to be able to spin and shoot on the 180 and into the bottom corner is simply outstanding. Newcastle have a serious talent on their hands.
It was another game that I felt we were missing the creativity of Antony Evans. His ability to unlock a defence with a pass and his knack of scoring from outside the box when we need it could have been beneficial to us on Saturday. Still though, it sounds as if he will be back for the Salford tie and that will be a huge boost to us. Coutts has done well on set pieces in his absence, but Evans’ dead ball ability is just another level.
It was a draw that felt more like a defeat given our dominance in the game, but all is most certainly not lost. As Captain Coutts said, if we win on Friday then that point becomes a good point. The automatics may look harder to get, but we are still in with a shout. Our next three games give us the opportunity not just to take care of our own fate, but impact on other teams’ fates too.
If we are to get into the automatic spots, beating Port Vale and relying on a Mansfield slip-up looks our best shot. If the latter win their game in hand, we will need to overhaul a five-point deficit to do that. But their game in hand is against Stevenage, who are fighting for their lives and under Steve Evans are no longer the pushovers that they were in recent times. There are no easy games now and it remains a possibility that those ahead of us will drop points.
Rovers have it within them to win all of their remaining games. Whilst we do not necessarily need to win them all, the fact they are all winnable shows we are still in with a chance of ensuring our destiny is in our own hands.
We will back ourselves to beat anyone at home, and although Salford are in good form, we haven’t lost at home since early December. Port Vale away looks the toughest of them all, but it is also a winnable game. Forest Green are without their top scorer and we can take maximum points from that game too.
If we can get wins from two of those three, then beat Rochdale away and Scunthorpe at home, then we could still be on the cusp of glory. Even if those above us maintain their form, we would have solidified our position in the play-offs.
But the work still has to be done and the exam question is a tough one for Rovers. Three straight games against promotion contenders is no easy feat. Five cup finals represent five opportunities to climb further up the table. Here’s hoping we can achieve what we once thought was unachievable.
SIGN UP: For our newsletter to receive more exclusive Bristol Rovers content
