A first half bookended by Aaron Collins shots hitting the woodwork captured where Bristol Rovers are seven games into the new League One season.
Despite playing well enough to beat Morecambe on Saturday, the Gas are yet to truly find their stride and it is small margins in many areas that Joey Barton needs to improve as the Gas look to get their season up and running.
Unlike a year ago when the Gas were stuck in reverse and being outplayed in League Two, they are a much more competitive side now having made the step up to League One and they have been able to accrue eight points from seven games.
What this year's iteration of the Gas does have in common with last year's is the reliance on individual quality. Rovers have good players for the level – some of them are very good – but the connectivity and cohesion that was established in the second half of last term en route to promotion is not there.
The 2-2 draw with the Shrimps evidenced that at both ends of the pitch. The manner of both Morecambe goals was particularly frustrating, with Rovers beaten too easily from a first-half short corner, giving Jensen Weir far too long to line up his shot, and a second-half counter-attack rounded off by a clinical Kieran Phillips finish.
Going forward, the Gas produced pressure and sprinklings of quality and invention, but the system is not functioning at full capacity.
Rovers earned their point thanks to Ryan Loft's third goal in as many games and debutant Bobby Thomas' 80th-minute equaliser and created enough chances to take the three points. More often than not they would have done so, but the fact remains that the Gas have plenty of work to do.
Lessons from last season
It is important to emphasise that this is not a major criticism because Rovers have lost some incredibly valuable players over the summer, particularly Connor Taylor – who is a regular in the Championship with Stoke City now and must be worth in excess of £1million – and Elliot Anderson – who would hypothetically cost an eight-figure sum if a club were to take him from Newcastle United – but Rovers have taken steps back in their development as a team while taking a step up in level.
Although they have more quality in some areas, they resemble the team when it was starting to find form in November, December and January last season. By the end of that campaign, Rovers were a winning machine that produced 11 goals in the final 135 minutes of the season to clinch promotion.
But things were very different early in the campaign and after riding out the "choppy waters" of the opening 10-15 games in League Two, to nab a phrase from Barton, the Gas started to gather points and momentum. Not that they were playing very well, though. The formula at that time was dogged defending, superb goalkeeping from James Belshaw and moments of magic from Antony Evans, Sam Finley and, eventually after his slow start to the season, Aaron Collins.
Stripped of Anderson, Sam Nicholson and Luke Thomas, Rovers appear to have reverted to a similar mode this season; there has been a reliance on producing individual moments of quality and making the most of set-pieces.
The win against Oxford was the product of a slick dead ball routine and a dedicated shift from every man in blue and white. The defeats at Barnsley and Portsmouth saw Rovers fail to threaten enough. The draw against Shrewsbury was highlighted by one moment of magic from Collins to break open a stubborn defence and assist Loft.
The Morecambe game followed a similar theme. Loft again had Collins to thank for a brilliant assist to level the score in the 29th minute, with the electric forward turning Liam Gibson inside out before delivering a fine cross for Loft to tap in. The second equaliser came from a set play, with Thomas reacting fastest in the box after Antony Evans' corner caused a scramble to make it 2-2.
Like last season, Rovers will improve. Maybe not to the same extent due to the much greater challenge of League One, but chemistry will build as the weeks go by and the defence will solidify if and when the injury situation improves.
Impressive debut
Thomas had just a couple of days of training after his loan move from Burnley before being thrown into action and he can be pleased with his first outing in the blue and white quarters. The 21-year-old came up with a big equaliser 10 minutes from the end, but before slamming that chance into the net he was already having an encouraging start.
Rovers' defensive lineup has been fluid this season, with James Connolly and James Gibbons out for weeks or months with back and foot stress fractures respectively, and that situation was exacerbated on Saturday with Barton leaving Lewis Gibson out as a precaution following a minor calf complaint.
Those issues meant Thomas was required in the starting XI and he rose to the challenge from the off. Quite literally, in fact, setting the tone with a thumping clearing header after Morecambe played forward in the opening seconds.
It was not perfect, with Phillips getting behind him in the first half, but what was obvious to see was Thomas' confidence, poise and physical ability. Those are characteristics are required to play in a Joey Barton defence, so the Burnley prospect looks like he will fit in well.
The state of the squad
This was Rovers' first game since the conclusion of the transfer window, and for the first time Barton had the kind of depth he was looking for on the bench, which will only get stronger when the likes of Connolly and Coburn become available.
But the manager was upfront about his desire to sign another winger and centre-back before trading ended and that is understandable.
Injuries have hit the defensive ranks and Barton doubtless would have welcomed another option. And out wide, Fulham loanee Sylvester Jasper made his debut as a substitute on Saturday and he looks like a wildcard player, with his direct and tricky running tools that could break through defences in certain games, although reports from his previous clubs point to an inconsistency in his end product. "Spinning the wheel" was how Barton described that signing.
On the whole, Barton will be pretty pleased with his resources. He was backed with the capital to pay fees for Jordan Rossiter, Luke McCormick and Connolly, who will all be big players for the Gas as the season develops. The manager also said on Saturday that signing Collins to a three-year contract was Rovers' most important business move of the summer, and core members of last season's team have been retained.
It may not have been a perfect window for Rovers, but there is enough quality and experience to compete and pick up the points they need until January when the manager can fine-tune the squad again.
Very different challenges
Rovers' past two league opponents, Shrewsbury Town and Morecambe, have had plenty in common in their approach to the game, with both teams pragmatic in their setup and eager to make the game short by bleeding the clock.
But Rovers' next two assignments promise to be at the opposite end of the scale. MK Dons were the league's best team in possession last year and they came close to automatic promotion. If Shrewsbury and Morecambe found comfort in being compact, MK will want to stretch the field as much as possible when they have the ball.
The Gas, therefore, will have to prepare for a very different challenge at The Quarters this week. MK have made an underwhelming start to the campaign with seven points from their seven games and Rovers will be confident that their expansive style of play will give them openings to exploit, but it is a very different task to recent games.
A midweek trip to league leaders Ipswich Town follows for the Gas. It is safe to say they won't be looking to soak up pressure and counter...
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