Bristol Rovers met a bump in the road that they hope leads to promotion on Saturday, off their game and taking a step back at Newport County.
James Waite scored the only goal of a game where Joey Barton's Gas rarely found fluidity and control to slip to four points back from the League Two play-off places, ceding some of the momentum that had been amassed over a brilliant run in the past two months.
With several players below their standards at Rodney Parade, there are causes for concern for Barton as he plots his route through the final 12 games of the campaign, but he and his squad have assembled enough evidence to believe that the damage suffered to their play-off hopes on Saturday can and will be repaired in the coming weeks.
Rovers off their game
Rovers’ habit of seizing big moments could not carry on unabated, and on Saturday Barton’s side were off colour at Rodney Parade. The attacking players who have shouldered the pressure and delivered in recent weeks were below their high standards and Newport played their part in it.
Barton admitted before the game that he did not want an end-to-end flow, feeling it would not suit Rovers’ traits. Instead, control and clean sheets have been the fuel for their fine form since the turn of the year.
But the pattern of the game settled in Newport’s favour, with the ball turning over frequently and the Exiles throwing men forward.
Still, the Gas weathered some difficult moments early in the game and grew into the contest midway through the half, creating promising situations without capitalising.
The home crowd has been somewhat subdued after a boisterous vibe at the start of the game as Rovers started to probe, but a costly period of chaos and sloppiness slipped into Rovers’ game around the half hour. Suddenly, their composure deserted them and the crowd once again became a factor.
Newport got back in the front foot and Waite made the moment count with a fine finish from 20 yards out, capitalising on unconvincing and rushed clearances to weave into a shooting position and fire beyond James Belshaw. Newport are a good side with impressive energy and exuberance, and the last thing the Gas needed to do was give their hosts an advantage. Belshaw had no chance of repelling Waite's bullet, but it stemmed from an avoidable situation of Rovers' making.
With the upper hand, Newport only improved. They pressed Rovers effectively, curbing the influence of Antony Evans and Elliot Anderson, who have been so influential as creators for the Gas. Barton's side finished the game with 56 per cent of the possession, but Newport's graft – coupled with their ability to bleed time off the clock at every opportunity – meant a lot of Rovers' play when they were chasing the game was not in dangerous areas.
In other fixtures, the back four have been able to start the play with relative ease as opponents have dropped off, but Newport made sure there was always pressure on James Connolly and Nick Anderton as they looked to get Rovers moving forward and sustain pressure in the final minutes.
In difficult games like this when things have not been going to play, Rovers' big players have often been able to stand up and provide a moment of inspiration, but one was not forthcoming on Saturday.
A nervous wait
No-one is irreplaceable, but Connor Taylor is as close as it gets in Rovers' squad with the 20-year-old the lynchpin of a defence that has made huge progress in recent months. That the centre-half was forced off with an ankle injury at half time is a cause for concern, particularly with Alfie Kilgour on the injury list.
Barton said Rovers and the player considered strapping up the ankle and sending him out for the second half, but the manager decided not to risk one of the pillars of his side in hope of saving him from another day. Barton doubtless will be desperate for good news when he holds his Monday debrief with the medical staff.
Enough words have been said and written about Taylor's importance to Rovers and how they function as a collective to make clear that they will be hamstrung without him. Connolly has taken huge strides in his game since the day he joined on loan from Cardiff City in January and is emerging as an equal partner for Taylor, but it is their complementary strengths that have made them an effective duo at the heart of the back four. Taylor rules the skies and is a remarkably clean tackler for such a tall young man, while Connolly possesses quality in possession in addition to his defensive instincts.
Nick Anderton did a commendable job filling in for Taylor in the second half, but it is very much unknown whether he and Connolly could form the same kind of shield for the Gas. At a pivotal phase in the season, Barton would loath to be without his dominant centre-back and he is hopeful the decision to not take a risk on Taylor holding up in the second half has been rewarded with him being available for Tuesday's trip to Crawley Town.
A bump in the road
Suffering defeat in what Barton labelled a six-pointer, against a relatively local rival to boot, stings, but the blow is not critical. The manager has forecast twists and turns on the course to the finish line and this was one of them.
With 12 games to go, Rovers still have the chance to define their season and this team has given many reasons since the turn of the year to believe they will respond accordingly when they travel to Crawley on Tuesday.
Doubtless, several players will be hurting on Sunday morning, disappointed with their performance levels, but there remains no shortage of confidence in the group and recent evidence suggests they will react with determination in Sussex in midweek for a game of increased importance after Saturday's defeat.
One defeat is damaging but not fatal, provided it is merely a bump in the road and Rovers are back on their game in the week ahead.
Finley must return
Barton vowed to make changes when he spoke to reporters pitchside at Rodney Parade, believing some players had missed their chance to solidify their place in the starting XI.
Sam Finley is one man who must regain his starting place in the weeks ahead. The midfielder started on the bench for the second successive game on Saturday after overcoming a virus, but with the stakes increasing for Rovers the return of one of their most influential players is required.
Finley was impactful as a substitute, offering a bit more of the control and pressure that Barton was after, and the manager must be lining him up for a starting role at Crawley on Tuesday. Through the highs and lows of Rovers' season, Finley has rarely let his standards slip and he can be a driving force in the run-in thanks to his rare blend of quality and tenacity.
Jon Nolan is in with a shout, too. Save for the forgivable moments of rustiness that were inevitable after more than a year out, the 29-year-old showed glimpses of his abilities in a cameo on debut. He is another in the Finley mould, offering plenty to the team in each third of the pitch and you cannot have too many of those players.
Club captain Paul Coutts' second game on the sidelines was a surprise, but Barton was minded to reward Glenn Whelan's excellent showing against Barrow on Tuesday with another start. Whelan again had his impressive moments against Newport, but Coutts was an ever-present of Rovers rise to the top of the form table in January and February and he could return to the base of the midfield at the Broadfield Stadium.
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