It was always going to be a difficult challenge, but when Bristol Rovers went down to 10 men at title-chasing Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday with more than an hour still to play and a near-17,000 crowd energised, it proved insurmountable for Joey Barton and his players.
Just as they were finding a footing in the game after an aggressive start from their hosts, Rovers were down a man with 19 minutes remaining in the first half on a night Argyle took a huge leap towards promotion. Antony Evans, desperate to show some tenacity and make life hard for the Greens, picked up two bookings in the space of 13 minutes to leave the Gas with the backs against the wall.
Although Rovers battled hard, counterpunches were few and far between and the interval brought only temporary respite; within just six minutes of the break, their goal had been breached thanks to an inspired overhead kick from Niall Ennis. Macaulay Gillepshey made it two almost immediately and, for all their resolve, the game had gone from Rovers' reach.
