By all measures, 2022 was not too shabby for the Gas. In fact, it will go down as one of the most memorable in the club's history with Rochdale, Scunthorpe, Gloucester Road and all that.
With-back to-back wins, the early indications are it is not impossible 2023 has some similar drama in store for Gasheads, who travelled in good numbers again on Saturday and met a gritty 2-1 win over Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium with calls of "Up the Football League we go" after the final whistle.
Now, we mustn't get carried away. Rovers remain very much in the "dark horses" category despite their fine form over the past three months. They are up to eighth in the League One table, albeit many of their rivals jostling for position in and around the top six have games in hand.
This was not a vintage performance, either. It started shakily and most of their good work with the ball came in bursts rather than sustained spells of quality, but ultimately the multi-pronged attack that Barton boasts and a dogged display from his team proved too much for the struggling Us.
Aaron Collins did not add to his collection of goals and assists, but he was superb again, creating the first goal and promoting panic in the home defence. Josh Coburn, though, did get on the scoresheet for a ninth time this term to cancel out Sam Smith's early header, and Scott Sinclair grabbed the third winning goal of a homecoming that is surpassing realistic expectations.
The prospect of Rovers making the top six is certainly an outside chance, but that they have a chance in the first place is something to enjoy when considering the woeful start to the League Two season and the injury-plagued start to this one. We've all come a long way from possible relegation fears to daring to dream.
Any Rovers fan would have gleefully accepted an offer of 37 points at this point of the season when it all started back in late July, and it could have been so much better if not for the stoppage-time concessions or the points dropped from winning position, indicating that for all of this team's growth, their heads are not up against the ceiling yet and there is room for more.
But rather than overthinking things too much, Rovers are in the mix and that should be enjoyed for as long as it lasts. Whether the campaign ends with the taste of disappointment, glory or somewhere in between, the pursuit of most things good in life is a large part of the fun.
Here are the talking points after Rovers' 10th league win of the campaign...
The P word
"We feel we're in with a right chance," Barton said after the final whistle. "We've still got 20 fixtures and we're in the mix, we're looking up and at the top end of the table, rather than over our shoulder at the bottom end of the table and I think everybody in the quartered jersey and everybody in the blue half of Bristol would have snapped your hands off if we said this would be the state of play on January 7.
"But also, we're not done. I told you long ago we're just getting started here."
He is absolutely right, any and every Gashead would have taken the offer of eighth place at this or perhaps any point of the season, particularly after the injury-plagued start that left them in the bottom four after 10 games.
Three months down the line, the landscape is transformed and Rovers' season is alive. The P word – promotion – remains a long shot but the fact Rovers are putting themselves in that conversation is an incredible departure from the last season spent in the third tier.
A glance at the league table emphasises the company that Rovers are keeping. There are both prestigious and successful clubs around them in the table and there is no sense of an inferiority complex; Barton and his boys believe they belong.
They will have to play better than they have in the past two games to contend, despite picking up six points, but almost every team in the top-six race would absolutely swap Rovers' strike force for their own. Collins, Coburn, Loft and Marquis are quite the quartet, with Sinclair, Evans and co. to boot.
With that kind of firepower, they have enough goals in the team to make their dreams a reality. Of course, the defensive record must improve, but although this wasn't a clean sheet for the Gas, they defended impressively and limited Cambridge to a minimal number of chances relative to their pressure and intent in the second half.
Those are promising signs, particularly with the chance to upgrade the ranks in the transfer window this month.
No one can say Rovers are not in the mix. They may be the unfancied horse in the pack – and rightfully so when their rivals include ex-Premier League clubs in Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth – but they've built up a mighty head of steam before.
Sinclair surpassing expectations
For all the romanticism surrounding Scott Sinclair's return to Rovers in October, there had to be some cool-headed realism, too. Released by Preston North End, Sinclair had not played a meaningful game since April and at 33 years old it was not a given that he would settle back at his boyhood club in the seamless way he has.
The former Celtic and Chelsea winger had scored just twice last season in 27 appearances for PNE, with both goals coming in the Carabao Cup. He has already doubled that tally in 14 appearances for the Gas.
But he has not just scored goals, he has scored big goals. Three of his four strikes have been winners, and the fourth ought to have been one too only for the Gas to cede a commanding position against Exeter City last month. Progression to the second round of the FA Cup and, more importantly, four league points have been produced from Sinclair's boots.
Aside from his headline contributions, there are valuable subtleties to his game such as his game management prowess and he is a dream character to have around the training ground; someone young players can look up to and learn from.
From Rovers' perspective, Sinclair's return to the club was a no-brainer, a can't-lose situation. To Barton and Gasheads' delight, it has turned out to be a roaring success. He is making telling contributions despite often playing out of position at wing-back and there is clearly still plenty left in the tank.
Rovers need to seal three or four incomings this month, but an extended contract for Sinclair, whose terms expire on January 23, has become of equal importance. The noises from The Quarters are positive about it getting done – Sinclair's joy from being back in the blue and white quarters is obvious – but it is never signed until it's signed.
Happy for Hoole
The man who delivered the cross for Sinclair's winner was a man at the opposite end of his career. It has been a season of learning and struggles for Luca Hoole, adjusting to life in League One after a breakout season in League Two.
Rovers have had better collective performances this season, but on an individual level, this was arguably Hoole's best in the third tier.
Rarely has he been deployed at right wing-back in a Rovers shirt, but that was the job he was tasked with from the start on Saturday. He was playing well, handling his defensive duties and getting involved in the passing game. There were also signs of his threat in behind, but one or two balls pinged in his direction zipped out of play when he was well placed.
With the half-hour approaching, the 20-year-old made a match-defining contribution. The build-up play was superb, with Bobby Thomas stepping out of defence and fashioning a pass into the feet of Coburn despite being fouled – and referee Thomas Parsons deserves huge credit for an excellent advantage. Coburn made the most of the yard of space he was afforded by spearing a pass through the defensive line to find Hoole in stride.
But the Welshman has plenty still to do in that situation. There were men queuing up in the middle but it would not be unusual to see a wide player not profit from that position. Hoole, however, delivered a ball with accuracy and pace to find the run of Sinclair, who finished with the quality you would expect from a man with more than 130 career goals.
Later in the afternoon, Hoole was shuffled to right centre-back to give the Gas a greater presence defending their own box as Cambridge turned to desperation tactics. That task was handled well, too.
Barton always believed the young defender he promoted to the first team last season would regain his form and his confidence. Recent weeks have been better and this was his best outing of the season yet.
A rivalry renewed
After a pair of league games in which Rovers provided the required response to a disappointing festive period, attention turns to the much-maligned-but-suddenly-quite-interesting-and-exciting Papa John's Trophy.
There is plenty on the line as League One leaders Plymouth Argyle visit the Mem for the second time this season on Tuesday, with the winners of the tie putting themselves within one game of a Wembley final. There is also £50,000 on the line, which would be a welcome boost to the transfer kitty.
But beyond the obvious perks, these are two teams and two coaching staffs that do not have a lot of time for either, and without delving too deep into the thorny issues that arose from the last meeting between the sides, it is obvious that both teams will be desperate to knock the other out of the competition and crush their Wembley dreams.
The quotes from Barton's pre-match press conference – which was conducted after the Cambridge win – are embargoed until closer to the game, but when asked if he sees the tie as a chance to rotate his squad, the Rovers boss left no room for doubt whether this game will be taken lightly.
Rarely does the spice of a Papa John's Trophy tie match that of its pizza, but it is certainly the case with this game.
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