We could make this nice and straightforward and present to you an abridged version of Joey Barton’s opening answer in his press conference on Thursday regarding if any of the players who started against Swindon Town in midweek have put themselves in contention to play against Plymouth Argyle today.
“No, I don’t think so. It’s probably one of my more straightforward team selections this weekend.”
Case closed, then. Unchanged team. No need to read on. Except this is Barton and while his honesty is a huge facet of his character, particularly in a public sense, there could also be some game playing going on here, especially given how much value he holds on this fixture.
Just blindly selecting an unchanged team would be too easy, and he certainly wouldn’t be deliberately calling it 48 hours before the fixture. And even if it the same starting XI from Cheltenham Town last weekend, there will be subtle tweaks to the roles of various players
You feel he may have one or two tricks up his sleeve, plus there’s the presence of Scott Andrew Sinclair back in blue and white and donning the No7 shirt. Here’s how we think the Gas will line up at the Mem against Argyle…
Goalkeeper and defence
With Anssi Jaakkola having been given a place in between the sticks against Swindon, James Belshaw will return in goal to continue his fine run and after a shaky-ish spell in September, in fairness could be attribute to further issues with the team, the 32-year-old has been approaching his better self this month.
He’s conceded just two in his last three games, and one of those was a penalty, and Belshaw even recorded an assist against Cheltenham Town with a booming ball downfield intended for Ryan Loft but which eventually found its way for Aaron Collins to score.
In front of the Rovers’ No1, you’d imagine Barton will stick with a settled back four of James Gibbons, Bobby Thomas, Lewis Gibson and Aaron Gordon. They mostly kept Cheltenham quiet last weekend and after all the chopping and changing at the start of the campaign, the last thing Barton wants to do is mess with any chemistry that is developing back there.
That has afforded him extra time to reintroduce James Connolly back into the first-team environment as the promotion hero of last season recovers from a stress fracture in his back and although he faces a fight to win his place back, with Thomas and Gibson looking formidable, there’s no reason to rush him and risk delaying his return to full fitness.
That then leaves Alfie Kilgour, Luca Hoole and Trevor Clarke to compete for the defensive bench spots in the matchday 18, with the feeling that Barton will only select two from that trio and Hoole and Clarke’s versatility probably give them the edge.
Midfield
Barton completely swapped out his midfield in midweek with Paul Coutts and Sam Finley moving to the bench and Jordan Rossiter given the night off altogether, as Luke McCormick, Jerry Lawrence and Zain Westbrooke came into the starting XI.
Coutts didn’t play against the Robins, while Finley played 23 minutes at the end. The smart money says, as mentioned above, that Barton keeps it simple and, similar to the theory in defence, maintains the chemistry with a midfield trio of Coutts, Rossiter and Finley.
Certain Westbrooke’s League One chances look limited and Lawrence is very much a long-term project but McCormick is the one individual who could force his way into the system.
He delivered a goalscoring performance against the Robins, in what was his best and most coherent 90 minutes since returning to the club in August. Placing him instead of Rossiter could work but, in reality, that’s probably only going to happen if the Scouser has sustained an injury over the last 48 hours. He was seen laughing and joking with Andy Mangan on Thursday and there was certainly no sign of that.
McCormick will likely have to fulfil a bench role, as playmaking responsibilities will fall on Antony Evans, although it remains to be seen if the former Everton academy player will be used in the same way he was at Whaddon Road.
In that game, the 24-year-old tended to be stationed almost as a right-sided forward out of possession before gradually moving infield when Rovers got on the ball. With Plymouth strong through the middle, there’s an argument for deploying him in that way again - to find space - but also to occupy a central berth and help his teammates out.
Certainly having the natural width that Gibbons and Gordon provide from full-back, which wasn’t a tenet of Rovers’ play due to injury issues at the start of the season, helps Evans roam to and from where the action is.
It's also briefly worth mentioning that both Finley and Evans are on four yellow cards and have five more games to avoid a one-match suspension if they incur another booking.
Attack
We best address the Sinclair question first because the strong likelihood is that he won’t be part of the starting XI, given he hasn’t played since 21 minutes for Preston North End on April 19. Unless there have been a few issues flare up at The Quarters on Friday and/or Sinclair has delivered something truly special on the training pitch, an element of patience will be required with the 33-year-old, although it will be a surprise if he’s not named in the 18.
There is also, as Barton alluded to on Friday, an element of the coaching staff working out how best to use him. There's no denying his talent, but it's how it's best used to get the best out of him and the team. That may not be immediately obvious.
How that impacts Sylvester Jasper’s place in the squad will be interesting as you feel there’s only really one spot for a wide attacker, especially with Harry Anderson in that role.
As for the two strikers/forwards that will start, it simply has to be Aaron Collins and Ryan Loft with both men in form and playing exceptionally well as a pair, offering a bit of everything and with express confidence in the duo.
Just speaking hypothetically, if Sinclair or Anderson have to come into the XI, should Barton want to throw a joker in the pack, then that likely means Loft moving to the substitutes’ bench and Collins taking a central role, which could then restrict the Welshman’s ability to find space. There is also the option of Josh Coburn through the middle who would a straight swap with Loft.
Josh Marquis is still not fully recovered from his knee injury, which has caused him to miss the last five matches, and probably won’t be in contention until next week against Sheffield Wednesday or Derby County.
Bristol Rovers (4-3-2-1): James Belshaw; James Gibbons, Bobby Thomas, Lewis Gibson, Lewis Gordon; Paul Coutts, Sam Finley, Jordan Rossiter; Antony Evans, Aaron Collins; Ryan Loft
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