Bristol Rovers made matters more difficult than they needed to be, but Joey Barton's side took care of business at Colchester United on Wednesday, booking their place in the third round of the EFL Trophy.
The stats suggested a dominant performance, with Rovers bossing possession and keeping their hosts at the JobServe Community Stadium to a single shot on target, but the Gas did not capitalise on their control and penalties seven minutes from time were a very real possibility when Freddie Sears cancelled out James Conolly's opener.
Rovers have already lost a shootout in this competition, losing out on a bonus point at Plymouth Argyle in the group stage, and they were desperate to avoid another on a night when for so long they were a class above and cruising to victory.
Colchester are enduring a difficult season in League Two, but allow teams of any quality to hang in games at your peril. Rovers lacked a clinical edge to put the tie out of sight and the hosts, unopposing for so long grew in confidence.
A stroke of luck levelled the scores with Sears' shot taking a decisive deflection, only emphasising the importance of ruthlessness to the Gas.
But although this performance left plenty to be desired, Rovers were the better side and they were deserving of their win, which was secured in the fifth minute of stoppage time when substitute Harvey Saunders was perfectly placed to pounce on a loose ball.
Job done and progression secured, with a few lessons learned for what could be another tricky cup tie against Boreham Wood on Saturday.
Harder work but a step closer
There was a sense of deja vu when Colchester equalised, with this game following a similar template to the previous visit 13 months ago, when Rovers were the ascendant team, led from a set-piece goal but wasted chances to kill the game and were pegged back late on.
Thankfully, this time there was a different ending to an otherwise similar story, with Saunders finding himself in the right place at the right time to book Rovers' place in the third round, avoiding the stress of a penalty shootout in the process.
In cup football, winning is all that matters and Rovers got the job done, but they made harder work than they should have. John Marquis should have set the tone with an early goal but his fifth-minute header was straight at the keeper, and other moments of opportunity were not seized upon in the first half.
After the break, the Gas took the lead from Connolly's opportunistic finish from beneath the crossbar and they had the state of the game was ideal. Colchester were forced to be more ambitious, leaving more space for Rovers' speed and superior quality to emerge.
And there were opportunities to be more ruthless on the break, but the final pass was lacking in quality. There was not a failure in finishing but a lack of composure in the approach play, allowing Colchester to stay in the game.
They were rewarded for hanging in there with Sears' leveller arriving in fortuitous fashion with James Belshaw beaten by a cruel deflection from Colchester's only shot on target all night.
Suddenly, Rovers were bumped out of cruise control, but credit to them for quickly getting back up to speed. Ultimately, the game was decided by a tiny moment of quality from James Gibbons, outfoxing Junior Tchamadeu with a bit of misdirection before delivering a cross that Kieran O'Hara failed to deal with and Saunders, hovering in the six-yard area, sniffed out his first goal of the season.
After navigating to this point in the competition, Rovers are in a bonus situation. The chance of a Wembley final is just three wins away and there are only three other League One teams in the southern section of the draw.
Little priority has been afforded to this cup run, but opportunity knocks for the Gas.
Taking chances
As a collective, Rovers were on the profligate side on Wednesday. When it came to individuals taking their chance to impress, it was a mixed bag as Barton gave chances to players desperate for starting opportunities with six changes to his XI for this game.
In a steady but unspectacular performance across the board, no one did their causes any harm but neither did they do enough to dramatically shake up the pecking order.
John Marquis will be disappointed a night of hard work and clever link-up play was not punctuated by a goal, missing a very good chance early doors. Trevor Clarke was impressive and burst forward to good effect on occasion, without making a telling impact on the contest.
James Gibbons played a big part in the winner and showed his value at both right-back and left-back, and Saunders stayed true to his "impact sub" tag with a good cameo capped by the decided goal. Luca Hoole, though, played briefly and Alfie Kilgour and Zain Westbrooke did not make it onto the pitch.
In midfield, Luke McCormick had another night when things did not quite click. He is still searching for rhythm since returning to the Gas on a permanent deal in the summer. Again, he provided glimpses of quality, and there is no shortage of effort; perhaps he is guilty of the old cliche of trying "too hard".
Based on his form over the past two seasons for the Gas and AFC Wimbledon, he will come good, but at the moment he will find it hard to break into the first-choice midfield trio of Finley, Evans and Jordan Rossiter.
Thomas is a dual threat
Wheeling away, Bobby Thomas thought he had scored his fourth goal of an impressive loan spell. In the end, he had to settle for an assist, with centre-back partner Connolly getting the final touch, ensuring Thomas' goal-bound header ended in the back of the net.
There may be the slightest tinge of disappointment for the 21-year-old that he did not get his goal, but his ability in the penalty area is a massive bonus for the Gas. Thomas has scored just one less than Connolly and Connor Taylor – both fine defenders who are capable in the opposition box – mustered together in the whole of last season.
Amid injuries and changes of formation, the Burnley loanee has been the constant of Rovers' defence since he joined on transfer deadline day, playing in with a variety of partners in a number of different setups. Defensively, he has been sound but it his threat in the opposition box gives him an X-Factor.
And when Rovers have quality players like Antony Evans, Sam Finley and Paul Coutts who can deliver from dead balls or in open play, Thomas is a player that will concern opposition coaches greatly.
He is often the target for Rovers' corner and free-kick routines, and one paid off on Wednesday when the centre-back pulled to the back post and sent a powerful downward header back across goal and towards the far corner. From the perspective of the press box, it looked like it was going in off the post, but Connolly was right to make absolutely sure, even if it meant nicking a goal from his mate.
Regardless of who applies the final touch in those situations, Thomas has brought a bonus quality to the Gas, He is developing nicely as a defender and, despite his youth and lack of experience, he is proving a man mountain when he goes up from the back. One or two more before Christmas and he'll be thinking about double figures by the end of the season.
Like the COVID days
There were no benefits whatsoever to the behind-closed-doors games played during the pandemic, besides being able to hear much more of what was being said on the pitch and in the technical area.
With a very small crowd in at the JobServe Community Stadium and the press box positioned just behind the away dugout, Barton could be heard loud and clear all night, shouting tactical demands and airing his frustrations above the hum of the 669 supporters in attendance.
During the pandemic when reporters had the privilege of being among the few allowed to attend, observers were able to get a deeper insight into the nuances of the game. Here, Barton was not satisfied with Rovers being in control and creating the better of the chances.
He demanded more tempo and fewer touches from his defenders. The referee was also on the receiving end of some home truths after a series of questionable calls.
Not only were Barton's instructions audible, but also the players' responses on the pitch. Sam Finley, for example, called on midfield partners Luke McCormick and Antony Evans to take up positions ahead of him to expose weaknesses in the Colchester shape and give the Gas better avenues to play forward.
Rovers have become accustomed to the noise of the Mem and some big stadiums on the road of late. This, at times, felt like rewinding to a much less enjoyable and eerie time. A return to the BS7 boombox is most welcome on Sunday.
Incredible support
The atmosphere may have been muted, but Rovers were still backed by 50 hardy, incredible supporters, who backed their team in an unpopular competition on a cold November night amid a cost of living crisis with World Cup games on the TV.
There were many reasons to stay at home, but those 50 showed their commitment to supporting their club and it was not lost on Joey Barton.
"Superb," the manager said of the travelling fans. "We put strong teams out in the competition. We're going to need our fans if we get an away tie or a home tie in this competition because we want to get to Wembley.
"It's a three-game carrot at the end of it and it would be nice to take 40-odd-thousand Gasheads to Wembley again.
"For us, in the next couple of competitions, whether we're home or away, I know it's not cheap at this moment but all the support from the Gasheads coming out is massive. There were only 50, but we can hear them.
"They only had a small number in themselves, but it is important for our players and I can't thank the fans enough because it would be easy to sit in the house and watch the World Cup, especially when it's cold like this, coming all the way here.
"I can't thank them enough and hopefully, because they've made that journey, they know we don't toss the competition off and play a load of kids. We want to take the Gas army to the home of football."
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