James Belshaw - 7
Untested for the first half an hour but was penalised for the penalty that allowed Cambridge to equalise. He tried to get in ahead of Sam Smith but the striker beat him to it. Joe Ironside sent him the wrong way from the spot, but Belshaw more than made up for it in the second half, denying the Cambridge number nine with a pair of top-quality saves.
James Gibbons - 7
Made his first start in two months and delivered a strong performance, both at right-back and wing-back. Moved the ball efficiently and was largely untroubled defensively.
Luca Hoole - 8
After a run of playing in a back three, he moved inside in the heart of a back four. Made a big impression at the opposite end of the pitch, with his header hitting Greg Taylor and bouncing in to give the Gas the lead. Handled his defensive duties well on an afternoon he played centre-back, right centre-back and right wing-back at different points.
Bobby Thomas - 7
Showed real maturity in a pressurised situation as Rovers chased a first win in almost two months. Kept things simple at times, but that was the order of the day and got the job done.
Lewis Gordon - 7
The returning cavalry back from injury allowed him to shift back to left-back and he performed well. Attacked effectively in the first period and thought he had won Rovers a penalty when a cross struck an arm but the referee said no. Defended well in the second half, particularly in the dying embers as Rovers battled to get over the line.
Jordan Rossiter - 8
The destructor-in-chief. He broke up so many potential attacks and showed his worth as Rovers sat back to protect the lead late on, making the area around the edge of the box his own with several crucial clearances.
Sam Finley (c) - 8
Another fine performance from the stand-in captain. Was a strong influence in Rovers' attacks in the first half and showed his tenacity in the second period to preserve the lead once Rovers got ahead.
Antony Evans - 8
His set-piece delivery was excellent, leading to the opening goal. His free-kick was curled perfectly to the near post for Hoole to head goalwards. Not been at the top of his game of late, but this was a strong showing.
Aaron Collins - 8
The complete package for Rovers. If he's not scoring the goals, he's creating them. He left Jubril Okedina for dead before delivering a brilliant cross for Coburn to tuck away. He has 11 goal contributions in 12 games. A massive asset for Barton.
Ryan Loft - 5
Off-colour after an excellent performance last week. His touch lacked the same quality. Tired quite noticeably in the closing stages, so may not have been at 100 per cent for this one. However, playing him up top alongside Coburn gave Rovers' a significant physical edge that Barton will look to capitalise on again in the future.
Josh Coburn - 8
There were shades of Elliot Anderson in the fourth minute when Coburn controlled Gibbons' diagonal pass before sprinting past the challenges of two defenders and pushing his shot just wide of the post. Showed plenty of guile in his performance and scored the decisive goal with a thumping finish from Collins' cross.
Substitutes
Lewis Gibson (for Coburn on 67') - 7
Barton will be delighted to have him back. Was a steadying presence on his league return from a calf injury after a runout in midweek.
Luke McCormick (for Gibbons on 77') - 7
A bright cameo. Thrived as the game started to stretch. Shows the growing depth of Barton's resources that he was on the bench.
Sylvester Jasper (for Collins on 77') - 6
Helped kill time.
Paul Coutts (for Finley on 87') - 6
Did the job required in front of the defence.
Trevor Clarke (for Evans on 87') - 6
Won throw-ins to kill the clock.
Not used: Anssi Jaakkola, Harvey Saunders.
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