Friday night under the lights will make for a unique experience for Bristol Rovers this evening, as 780 Gasheads make the 360-mile round trip at the end of a working week to the University of Bolton Stadium, expecting a marked improvement on the performance dished up at the Mem last Sunday.
As noted by the manager earlier this week in reflecting on the FA Cup defeat to Boreham Wood, if Rovers were to drop a duff performance in what has been a fine run of form and results throughout October and November, at least it came in one of the cup competitions and not the league.
The Gas have lost just one of their last nine matches in League One and, had last weekend not happened, or at least played out a little differently, they’d be approaching this trip full of confidence and belief.
That’s not to say that won’t be the case, but there will be a sense of hope that it merely proves an outlier and that Rovers can get back to winning ways quickly, against a team who have picked up form and performances of late. Here’s what we think Barton’s XI will be against Bolton…
Goalkeeper and defence
Anssi Jaakkola has not been well of late, and the Finn wasn’t deemed well enough to start against Boreham Wood but after another five days of rest and recovery he should be okay to take his place on the bench and act as deputy to James Belshaw.
There’s no question that Rovers’ reigning Player of the Year will keep his place in between the posts. The only consideration Barton would have is if Jaakkola wasn’t able to travel, which would mean Jed Ward coming into the squad with the teenager having recently recovered from a broken hand.
The make-up of Barton’s defence is based on what system he wishes to deploy; if it’s a back four then one of Bobby Thomas, James Connolly and Lewis Gibson will have to drop out but with all three of his first-choice centre-backs fit, the likelihood is that the manager will select them all, even if they were the starting defence last Sunday.
Much like the team itself, Barton will be hoping that was a blip and they can return to the collective performance displayed against Peterborough United the previous weekend.
That leaves two wing-back spots, with Lewis Gordon expected to keep Trevor Clarke out on the left and while Scott Sinclair has been used on the right, the former Celtic forward is needed further up the pitch, so that slot will go to James Gibbons.
That said with confidence because Luca Hoole, while fit, appears on the outside looking in at the moment, at least in terms of a starting berth as he’s played just 12 minutes since starting against Derby County last month.
The same is also true of Alfie Kilgour who will have to continue to bide his time, having not featured since October 1, but with Connolly now back fit and ensconced in Barton’s preferred defence, a lot probably needs to happen for the Rovers academy product to force his way back into the equation.
Midfield
Arguably Rovers’ biggest area of strength is where they’ve been hit hardest of late with Paul Coutts, although back on the grass at The Quarters, still out of action and doubts over Jordan Rossiter due to the illness throughout the Rovers squad. If the latter does indicate he’s well enough to play, he’ll start, given his importance to the Gas on both sides of the ball.
But the way the manager was talking on Wednesday - which is our only guide right now - is that it might be a game too soon. Which could then lead to Antony Evans retaining his place despite an uncharacteristically dodgy showing against Boreham Wood.
The Scouser was singled out by Barton post-match for his reckless passing but has enough credit in the bank to be considered for re-selection alongside near-automatic pick Sam Finley.
It seems unlikely that player/coach Glenn Whelan will be assigned to play two games inside a week - unless the illness situation does get considerably worse.
But Luke McCormick does come into the conversation having not started a League One fixture since the defeat at Derby County and if there was a time to come back into the team, it could well be now. But did the 23-year-old show enough in his second-half performance on Sunday to demand a place in the starting XI? You’d probably lean towards no, but there still might have been enough in there for Barton to maybe hand him a chance from the start.
Attack
Ryan Loft’s anticipated absence due to illness makes selecting the front three that little more straightforward. We can safely assume Aaron Collins and Josh Coburn will form two-thirds of the frontline and based on the fact he scored the winner in his last League One outing, the final spot will almost certainly go to Sinclair.
That is, unless Barton does opt for him at right wing-back but as Sinclair increasingly feels his way into this team and League One, more of his strengths come to the fore, and you want them deployed further up the field - as was the case in the victory over the Posh.
Competition for the wide attacking role is essentially Sinclair or Harvey Saunders as Harry Anderson remains out with a groin injury.
And while Marquis could be a consideration for a central striking berth, the bug which ruled him out of last Sunday’s cup tie has probably set his scheduled recovery back another week meaning that he’ll have to make do with a bench place.
Rovers (3-4-3, probable): James Belshaw; Bobby Thomas, James Connolly, Lewis Gibson; James Gibbons, Sam Finley, Antony Evans, Lewis Gordon; Scott Sinclair, Josh Coburn, Aaron Collins
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