Screams of frustration, slamming of the turf, a missed penalty, five cheap goals and a whole heap of misery for Bristol Rovers. Under heavy grey skies with a January chill, oh we don't like to be beside the seaside as Morecambe delivered what Joey Barton rated as the worst performance of his near-two-year tenure with the Gas.
The big picture is still broadly positive for Rovers, 12th in League One after a second successive defeat, but within the confines of the 90 minutes, this was perhaps the new nadir of an eventful two years. To be clear, there have been lower moments with context taken into account, and the Gas have conceded more goals in a game – six against Lincoln in September – but these 90 minutes were as bad as it's been as a standalone performance.
Morecambe deserve full credit, giving Rovers two difficult games this season despite being in the midst of the relegation battle, and they have an excellent home record for a team at the wrong end of the table, but a lot of things had to go wrong for the Gas to find themselves 5-0 down as full time approached until Aaron Collins netted a consolation.
Barton was scathing in his criticism. "Embarrassing", he said, apologising to fans and indicating there would be consequences – both in the shape of incomings and outgoings – before Tuesday's transfer deadline.
Anomalous, the manager will hope, this was a performance one both could and couldn't see coming. Rovers have conceded goals in high quantities this season and the defensive record has been their Achilles heel, but that has often been down to individual errors and rarely have they looked this vulnerable as a unit.
Most teams – the absolute elite excluded – have a shocker or two even in the midst of a good season, and Gasheads and Barton will hope this game can be placed in that category and not be repeated any time soon.
Murphy's law strikes
If any single moment encapsulated the afternoon as a whole, it was Scott Sinclair’s uncharacteristic penalty miss, but by then, the damage was done.
Pretty much everything that could go wrong for Rovers, did. Debutant goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe was beaten too easily for the opening goal by Dan Crowley’s shot from distance and clumsy play in possession spurned opportunities to create an equaliser, but at the break, the contest was still alive – provided they got a grip of the midfield and made life a bit easier for the back four.
Three minutes later, though, it wasn’t. One set-piece concession was followed by another as a James Connolly own goal and Donald Love’s arrow saw Barton turn back to the bench angered and perplexed.
Even then, Rovers looked likely in the final third but on the counter, Crowley was again afforded the kind of space between the lines that a professional would never reasonably expect and Cole Stockton finished smartly from the through ball.
For the 600-plus Gasheads that made the trip, 4-0 was bad enough, but Sinclair’s penalty – saved by Connor Ripley, to his credit sporting a shaved head in support of his mate Nick Anderton – and a fifth goal from Adam Mayor, plus an almost cruel five minutes of added time was to follow. Collins' tidy finish was scant consolation.
Mercifully, Rovers escaped without injuries or suspensions, because perhaps that was the only way this could have been worse.
What will frustrate Barton about this team is they are the inverse of last year when defensive solidity and control came a lot easier than attacking potency. Now, the Gas have goals and creativity but insecurity at the back, summed up by 50 shipped in 28 games.
Collins, Coburn et al have done a lot to mask those issues, but days like this are always possible until the Gas find an effective defensive method.
No home comforts in the North West
For a squad and coaching staff with many connections to this particular corner of the country, the North West has been awfully unkind to the Gas in the past fortnight.
Forget the hugs and handshakes of a homecoming, for the Gas players from this part of the world, the trips to Accrington and Morecambe have been as pleasant as a slap in the face – fitting for the rude awakening that despite all of Rovers' good work so far this season, there are absolutely no mugs at this level.
Indeed, across the two games, Morecambe look better than a bottom-four side, but Rovers, clearly, had more talent on the pitch man for man and the same is true of the Accrington game, but twice in succession, the Gas have let themselves down with their performance levels.
At Accrington, they were guilty of going off script and erring from the things they do well. At Morecambe, they were open and unconvincing throughout, proving to be far too easy to play against – something that was absolutely not the case in the lead-up to Christmas when the Gas were climbing the table with speed.
Barton has been counting on a big finish to the transfer window, with three signings made so far, and on this display, it is clear the squad needs more additions to make sure the standard is returned to where it was just a few weeks ago, or Rovers' season risks petering out.
Still, an uneventful mid-table finish would be a strong season back in League One, providing a platform for next year and beyond, but there was potential for it to be more than that and it would be a shame if Rovers were to let that chance slip so soon. Things can change quickly and Rovers need to respond at the earliest opportunity: MK Dons at the Mem next Saturday.
Big calls have never scared Barton
Sentiment is not a factor in the football mind of Barton and his ruthless streak has been seen time and again across his time at Rovers as the two-year anniversary of his appointment nears. Most of the time, his decisions which have been questioned have worked out in his favour.
He made another one of those big calls before kick-off with James Belshaw dropped for new signing Ellery Balcombe. At the time the team news dropped, it was not a surprise; Barton brought in a new keeper for a reason but taking out a player who has been a pillar of Rovers' recent success is not taken on a whim.
The decision has not delivered instant dividends with Balcombe culpable for the first goal, which set the tone for a clumsy afternoon for the Gas. Not an ideal start and the games in the weeks ahead will confirm whether it was the correct call to make a change between the posts.
But Barton certainly is conditioned to take the criticism on the chin. Some managers may have squirmed as the travelling fans sang the name of the dropped Belshaw as Rovers floundered in the second half, but the evidence from the past 23 months suggests he will carry on undeterred.
In fact, more ruthless decisions can be expected, with Barton declaring in his post-match press conference that this performance had confirmed his view that departures will take place before Tuesday's transfer deadline. For a variety of reasons, the next few days promise to be fascinating in the world of Rovers.
Quansah still classy
It seems utterly bizarre in the wake of a 5-1 hammering to praise a central defender, but those in attendance at the Mazuma Stadium would have seen plenty of potential in 19-year-old Liverpool prospect Jarell Quansah.
His senior debut will be remembered for all the wrong reasons from a team perspective, but on an individual level this was a showcase of his talent and he will be frustrated with his part in the ultimately meaningless but still galling fifth goal, allowing Adam Mayor beyond him a bit too easily before he stroked the ball beyond Balcombe.
Because before that, Quansah has been excellent. He was the most poised man amid a scene of blue and white chaos, carrying the ball out of the back so elegantly and showing no shortage of confidence in those moments. Defensively, too, he dealt with the danger when it was in his orbit.
It will be hard for Barton to take any possibilities from such a dismal collective performance, but he will know from Saturday's evidence that if he can get the structures right around Quansah, he has a player of quality and potential.
The man they miss the most
Injuries are an unfortunate reality of the game, but the sustained absence of Jordan Rossiter is starting to bite as Rovers' defensive record worsens.
Lewis Gibson's unavailability is a problem, too, but the central midfielder had been the glue between the attack and defence in Rovers' best moments in the season so far, and his intensity and engine are being sorely missed as he recovers from a meniscus injury picked up in December.
An unselfish player in the extreme, Rossiter does the essential dirty work and makes those around him better, while also having enough technical ability to contribute on the ball.
With a fully fit Rossiter in the heart of midfield, it is hard to envisage Crowley enjoying the time and space he had to pull apart an exposed defence time and again.
In keeping with a miserable afternoon, Barton earlier in the week shared news of a setback for Rossiter, with hopes he would be back in contention next week dashed.
Rovers need him back sooner rather than later.
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