Last time on their travels in League One, it was Bristol Rovers flying out of the blocks and doing the early damage en route to victory.
But Joey Barton’s Gas were on the receiving end of that treatment at Barnsley on Tuesday night.
As kick-off neared, the clouds rolled in and the deluge began. The Gas had to weather a storm on the pitch, too, but their resistance lasted just three minutes until Devante Cole scored from an improbable angle. Number two arrived 10 minutes later thanks to a huge deflection on Jordan Williams’ long-range shot and a Rovers’ side that has made comebacks something of a forte in 2022 never looked like getting back on the game.
Josh Benson’s rifled finish 10 minutes into the second half gave the scoreline reflective of the balance of power and James Belshaw prevented the Gas from incurring any further damage.
Barton and Rovers were not getting carried away after the wins over Oxford United and Burton Albion, so this was no reality check, but a firm reminder of the step up in standard the Gas will encounter over the course of the League One season. The punishment for poor performances is much more ruthless.
Gas subside in the storm
It has been a sizzling summer and the scorched earth was finally treated to a deluge on Tuesday, which coincided with the teams taking to the Oakwell pitch.
But Rovers had a different kind of storm to be worried about. Barnsley started at speed and had Rovers on the back foot from the off. With the right channel between Harry Anderson targeted with balls over the top, the Gas were immediately unsettled and the home crowd were buoyed.
On the road at a big ground with a decent crowd in, this is where survival instincts are required but they deserted Rovers on Tuesday.
Cole was allowed to move into space in the box and he was easily found. Still, the angle was narrowing and he should not have been able to score but the Gas allowed him to get a shot off and it squeezed into the far corner.
At that point, Rovers needed to stem the tide and calm things down for 10 minutes, but Barnsley continued to press forward and Belshaw was required to challenge Cole outside of his area after the striker ran clear.
That intervention was proved redundant moments later when Williams got lucky with a huge deflection to make it 2-0 and the contest was fast slipping away from Rovers.
They never recovered. Barnsley continued to boss the battle for second balls and created chances while blunting Rovers’ attack at the other end before clinching the points with a third goal.
Had the Gas found a way to survive those chastening opening minutes, the evening could have been very different, but you can Ill afford to give teams such an early boost at home, particularly one that has just dropped out of the Championship. It was the fillip Barnsley and the home fans needed and Rovers’ brains were scrambled. Belshaw in his post-match interview about tactics going out of the window and Barton lamented “bizarre” decisions from his players under pressure.
These are lessons Rovers must learn before Saturday’s trip to Fratton Park, a place where the crowd can certainly play its part.
Playing away from home is not an easy thing, but the Gas can make life a lot easier for themselves than they did on Tuesday.
Recruitment needs
Strong performances against Oxford and Burton, coupled with the return of several senior players to the squad after injury and suspension, have cooled the sense of desperation for signings among the fanbase, but this was a performance that brought Rovers’ recruitment needs into focus again.
With the usual stars Antony Evans and Aaron Collins struggling to make any meaningful impression on the game – a rare thing in recent times – Rovers were desperate for inspiration but Barton did not have any attacking aces up his sleeve that he wanted. There was Ryan Loft on the bench, who always puts himself about, but with Rovers so disjointed at Oakwell the need was for an injection of dynamism and inspiration to try to flip the balance of the game.
The defensive ranks have been bolstered of late and the Gas have plenty of experience in midfield, but the fact remains that Elliot Anderson, Luke Thomas and Sam Nicholson have still not been replaced after leaving the club in May. That is a massive talent drain in a crucial area of the pitch and any League One side would feel those loses acutely.
Barton is fully aware of that, of course and increasing the depth and variety of Rovers’ attacking resources must be the priority of the final fortnight of the transfer window.
The manager has shown his skill for finding a deadline day gem – Evans and Anderson arrived at the end of the summer and January windows respectively – and he will be hopeful of repeating the trick this time around.
These things will happen
A 46-game season is gruelling and collectively poor performances are par for the course. The Gas have set very high standards in 2022 with their ridiculous run to League Two promotion and maintaining them as they step up a level was always going to be a stiff challenge.
Six points from four games is a decent haul for Rovers, and if they can maintain an average of 1.5 points per game over the course of the season then it will be a very impressive campaign for the Gas.
In League Two, promotion was so important to Rovers that every defeat felt catastrophic, but expectations have to be realigned in the third tier. Rovers are a decent-sized fish but they've been lobbed into a tank with a few sharks lurking and it is inevitable a few chunks will be torn out of them every now and again. The odd bad performance does not define teams in this division but it is the ability to avoid sustained periods of struggle by grinding out results that is crucial.
Typically, Barton's blues have sharp teeth of their own to do some damage, but they were uncharacteristically meek on Tuesday. This was a performance not fitting of the collective character of the team and there will be an eagerness to respond accordingly at Portsmouth on Saturday.
Thomas looked sharp
Gasheads doubtless would have had mixed feelings seeing Thomas perform so impressively for Barnsley on Tuesday, but that can be the cost of loaning players. Rovers’ hard work to get him back on track last season after his personal struggles is Barnsley’s gain now, and he appears an excellent fit in Michael Duff’s 3-5-2 system, buzzing behind the front two and being encouraged to drive forward on the ball.
There were some familiar sights Gasheads will have noted, particularly the gilt-edged chance that was lost when Belshaw snatched the ball off his toes after an error from James Connolly. His profligacy was a weakness at Rovers but the huge strides he has made in the past 12 months are clear to see.
A Rovers return was on the cards for the 23-year-old earlier in the summer with both parties keen to reunite, but it’s hard to see Michael Duff letting him go in this form now, with a goal and an assist already to his name. He’s returned to the Tykes as a key player after his stint in BS7.
SIGN UP: To receive our free Rovers newsletter, bringing you the latest from the Mem
READ NEXT:
