Off the back of three straight League One defeats, times are tough for Bristol Rovers, but they have been here before and striker Ryan Loft knows they find their way back to form.
Joey Barton's Gas have had something of a streaky season, starting poorly amid an injury crisis before hovering around the top of the form table in the lead-up to Christmas. But after starting 2023 with consecutive wins, Rovers have lost to Accrington Stanley, Morecambe and MK Dons – all bottom-half teams – by an aggregate score of 9-1.
The recent struggles bear some resemblance to the early season issues that Barton and his players encountered and, eventually overcame, starting with a dogged 2-2 draw at an in-form Exeter City in October after a three-game losing streak and a fine run of results was built from there.
Defensive frailties and possession without penetration have been big issues for the Gas of late, but Loft, who was a key player in the autumn turnaround before suffering a hamstring injury which has knocked him out of his stride, believes Rovers can take inspiration from what they have done before as they look to get back on track against Lincoln City at Sincil Bank on Saturday.
"When we were playing in those games (in the autumn), I don’t think we were really thinking too much about how we play," he said. "We were just grinding results out and it was effective.
"As a group, we’ve probably come away from it a little bit, and that’s what happens when people get injured and you have to change things about.
"That Exeter game was a turning point, so we know we can do it. We can go on a good run and hopefully we do it sooner rather than later."
Naturally, confidence has been knocked by results in recent weeks, but the message from the dressing room is mood at The Quarters remains upbeat and the players are unified in their "fight" to get back in the win column.
"It comes down to having a good group," Loft said. "We’re never too downbeat. We know we’re not having the performances at the moment or the results, but it is a good group and everyone sticks together.
"We will keep fighting until we come out of the other side of it, but we’re not in a bad position after coming straight back up, so hopefully we can hit a bit of momentum in the back end of the season and just enjoy it.
"It has never changed, the group is a good group. Everyone gets on well with each other and, apart from the odd time when everyone is downbeat and feeling sorry for themselves, can boost each other and put everything in on the training pitch.
"Sometimes you just have bad patches and, obviously, the fans want us to do well so I can see it is frustrating for them but they have got to stick with us and, hopefully, we can turn it around for them."
Loft, aged 25, endured a tricky start to his Rovers career after signing from Scunthorpe United 13 months ago, scoring just once in his first half-season in BS7. This year, however, started in a very different fashion for the target man, who scored six goals in all competitions by mid-October.
His physically dominant displays as the focal point of Barton's attack established a regular place in the starting XI, but a hamstring injury picked up at Sheffield Wednesday on October 26 followed by an illness ruled him out for six league games.
In seven appearances since returning, two of which were starts, Loft has not registered a goal or an assist. He has no doubts he will get back to his best form, but he believes he is the type of player who needs regular starts to find a rhythm.
"I’m not an injury-prone player," he said. "It was just one of those things where I picked up a little niggle. We had a run of quite a few games, winning four on the bounce, and I put quite a lot into them.
"I just did my hamstring a little bit and then I was off ill. It was like one thing after the other and I ended up being off for three weeks and sometimes you don’t hit the ground running when you come back, especially with the type of player I am.
"I need games and momentum to get my rhythm. I can train as much as I want, but it’s the games I need. That’s why I was doing so well in that period of time, the games were giving me momentum.
"I will get back to it. For me, it’s about adding something to the team. I’m not going to be the best passer and there are other players to do all that magical stuff, but as long as you’re offering something, and for me it is being physical and being a presence up front.
"It was good to have that after last year. I didn’t have the best of times at certain times last year, but it was good to repay the fans and it was a nice feeling, especially because we were winning; it means nothing if you’re not winning."
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