The Boxing Day blues gripped Bristol Rovers as a promising start was followed by a second-half hangover and defeat to Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park.
There were no signs of sluggishness early doors when the Gas conjured one of their best goals of the season, carving open a typically stubborn defence with three perfect passes before Middlesbrough starlet Josh Coburn scored his sixth goal in 12 League One games as his brilliant loan stint continues.
But Joey Barton's side could not capitalise on a period of dominance by scoring a second goal in that moment and they paid for that profligacy by conceding either side of half time. Wycombe were always going to threaten with their direct approach and Rovers were well aware of the danger posed by Sam Vokes and the array of creative players working off second balls, but both goals came in a similar fashion.
David Wheeler scored the first, converting Anis Mehmeti's cross after Vokes knocked a long ball down for Gareth McCleary. Lewis Wing scored the second, with Rovers caught short at the back moments after the interval. Again Mehmeti attacked the space on the left before his shot was rebounded kindly to Wing on the edge of the area and he converted through a crowd of bodies.
Rovers' recent form – just one defeat in 12 league games heading into the trip to Buckinghamshire – was cause for confidence that the Gas could respond, but by giving up their lead they were playing Wycombe's kind of game and the Chairboys are masters at it.
An afternoon of frustration for Rovers, all told, paying the price for naivety in defence and impatience and imprecision in attack. But with two home games following in quick succession to round off the festive, they have an instant opportunity to respond.
Rovers got 'Wycombed'
Of all the teams in League One, Wycombe are probably the last you would want to have to play from behind against. Like them or loathe them, the Chairboys are masters of game management. Defending leads and draining the clock is their bread and butter.
Losing despite having 61 per cent of possession and not far off twice as many passes away from home is getting "Wycombed", and there is no shame in suffering this fate. The style of play and the gamesmanship – the perfectly-timed falls to the floor encouraged by Gareth Ainsworth may be polarising – even the home fans sang jokily about the cynical side of their game – but it is so effective.
Title-chasing Ispwich Town suffered the same fate in the previous game at Adams Park (72 per cent of the ball, more than double the number of passes). This is a team that enjoys making life awkward and uncomfortable with a straightforward style, and they have the forward players to make it work with a good target man and an arsenal of flair players to connect with him.
A short game is a good game for Wycombe, with the ball out of play as much as possible. This is not to be disparaging because you cannot play this way and be successful without good players; Ainsworth has a strong squad and he puts them in situations to win games.
Fair play to them, it has taken them to the Championship once and it is not out of the question that they do it again this season. It must be miserable to play against, though, but that is part of the challenge and the variety that League One poses. Teams have their quirks and they need to be overcome.
The Gas briefly had Wycombe playing their game in the opening 20 minutes and the hosts' defence was starting to stretch, but a soft goal stunted Rovers' momentum when they were dominant. From that moment, Wycombe had most things on their terms and they took advantage.
These teams meet again quickly with Wycombe visiting the Mem in January and Rovers have lessons to learn from this encounter.
The Collins and Coburn connection
They may not have been paired in a strike partnership on Boxing Day, but the connection between Aaron Collins and Josh Coburn remained strong.
With Barton eager to reward John Marquis' brilliant performance off the bench against Charlton Athletic with a starting spot while being mindful of the need to add more height to deal with Wycombe's aerial threats, Rovers started with a back four and that meant the 3-5-2 setup with Collins and Coburn up top was put on the shelf.
But Collins playing in wider areas did not prevent him from combining with a player he has forged an instant rapport with on the pitch. Three of Coburn's six League One goals have been assisted by Collins – League One's most productive player with 11 goals and eight assists – going into the game at Wycombe and they added another to the list after just four minutes.
As a striker, service like this would be atop the Christmas list, with Collins putting the cross on a plate for Coburn after being played into the right channel by Antony Evans. Coburn could not miss.
It may have been a simple finish, but getting in positions to score tap-ins over and over again is an art and at just 20 years old, Coburn is well on the way to mastering it.
Collins and Coburn have built a fine partnership across a dozen league games. They have complementary styles but they also share some fundamentals: they are finishers, they are mobile and they link the play superbly, bringing teammates into the game.
Depth in attack is a luxury Barton is enjoying this season, but Collins and Coburn are his most dangerous weapons and they were the brightest performers in his starting XI on Boxing Day. They will give Rovers a chance in any game, but their contributions were not quite glittering enough to overcome the poor moments in the collective performance at Wycombe.
Like a home game
Rovers were backed by 1,203 Gasheads at Adams Park and it often sounded like Rovers were the home team, such was the noise proceed by those who made the trip.
Ultimately, they left disappointed, but they can be proud of their efforts in the stands to spark a revival on the pitch after Rovers fell behind, and the rapport they have built with this team was apparent at full time.
There were loud boos, but they were for the referee, Sunny Gill, who puzzled both teams with his inconsistent officiating throughout the contest. His decision to book Bobby Thomas for time-wasting in the eighth minute, leaving him walking a tightrope against a veteran forward in Vokes for the majority of the contest, ranks among the most bizarre calls of the season, given that Thomas had stood over the free-kick to see if he could play it before deciding to leave it for his goalkeeper – a sight surely seen at almost every game on Boxing Day.
For the players and coaches, there was warm applause despite the result. The majority stayed beyond the final whistle to thank the players for their efforts, evidence of the credit in the bank this squad has amassed not only this season but over the past 12 months.
It is going to take a lot more than just one defeat to upset the good vibes on the terraces. Rovers were short of their usual standards for most of this game, but there is a strong case they were worth a point out of the game, and in its own way that is encouraging. The Gas can compete with promotion-chasing sides without being close to peak performance.
McCormick provides a spark
Luke McCormick has been plugging away in search of form and confidence since returning to Rovers in the summer, with the versatile midfielder upfront in interviews about his lack of impact so far this season.
Boxing Day brought one of his brightest cameos yet, though. Introduced with 20 minutes remaining, he was the likeliest source of an equaliser and he brought a much-needed injection of energy to a performance that had stalled after such a good start.
His manager has never wavered in his confidence that McCormick will come good sooner rather than later and he liked what he saw from the throwback box-to-box midfielder.
Barton said: "Driving into that box is his game, creating havoc, and it was nice to see him looking more like himself as every passing week comes. He will be a fantastic player for us and he has already shown in his first stint what a good player he is.
"He just needs to settle in and rebuild his confidence levels coming out of back-to-back relegations. He looks like he's making progress now."
A chance to bounce back
The festive period and its condensed fixture schedule can work wonders for your league position and that is still the case for Rovers with two home games in the coming days.
Cheltenham Town visit the Mem on Thursday before a New Year's Day clash with Exeter City. After a flat performance in the second half and a disappointing result, a quickfire double-header against West Country rivals (not derbies, though...) could be the ideal tonic.
The Mem is sure to be vibrant with home and away fans out in force and the Gas will certainly be up for the occasion. A pair of positive results will make the disappointment of Boxing Day a distant memory.
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