Bristol Rovers returned to the Mem for the first time since their promotion heroics 10 weeks ago, and they did so in some style on Tuesday night. Joey Barton's Gas were worthy winners against a Stoke City side nearing full strength.
The 2-0 win against Championship opposition was a near-ideal end to Rovers' pre-season campaign, with Aaron Collins' missed penalty and the smattering of players who missed out with knocks and illness the only sources of minor disappointment for Barton.
Aden Flint's own goal and a clinical counter rounded off by substitute Harvey Saunders clinched victory for the Gas, who were in impressive form in their final game before the visit of Forest Green Rovers on July 30.
The manager sees lots of room for improvement and plenty of transfer business left to do, but there were many promising signs for Barton to appreciate on Tuesday.
Pressing from the front
John Marquis is delivering as advertised in the blue and white quarters so far. Mixed reviews followed his time at Portsmouth, but no one has questioned his work rate and he set the tempo for Rovers' press on Tuesday.
He sent Stoke's England under-21 keeper Joe Bursik an early warning that he could not be lax on the ball by closing down a clearance, and he followed that up in the second half by reacting sharply to a poor touch from Bursik to win a penalty for the Gas. The fact Aaron Collins missed that spot kick is insignificant in the circumstances.
Instead, Barton will be delighted. A hallmark of Rovers' promotion-winning campaign was their ability to execute a high press to steal possession in dangerous areas and then having the flair players to capitalise on an exposed defence.
Marquis, it seems, will only enhance that ability to both force and profit from mistakes from opponents in their defensive third, and with more teams intent on playing out from the back in League One than League Two, it could be an even more fruitful strategy for the Gas.
There was also a sprinkling of neat hold-up play from the new signing, showing he can be more than just a poacher when his team is in possession. On one occasion, he held off the towering Flint and brought a long, straight ball under his spell before releasing Collins to burst forward.
Pre-season cannot be relied on too heavily as a meaningful indicator of what is to come when three points are on the line, but Marquis is settling in nicely in BS7.
Saunders' summer scoring streak
Make that four in four for Saunders as he continued his impressive pre-season scoring form on Tuesday evening. He followed up a neat lob and clinical brace against Melksham Town and Chippenham Town respectively with another goal against the Potters.
The cards dealt to the forward last season may have been unkind on a personal level, with a particularly unfortunately-timed injury ruling him out for months and leaving him at the back of a long queue to regain his place in the side.
This time around, Saunders has drawn a stronger hand and he is making the most of it. With Sam Nicholson, Elliot Anderson and Luke Thomas all gone and yet to return or be replaced, there are vacancies up for grabs. Barton wants to address those in the transfer market, but 24-year-old Saunders is doing all he can to stake a claim to be involved.
Perhaps no player in the squad benefits more from the permanent rule change to five substitutes a game. The former Fleetwood Town striker has pace to burn and is a real point of difference. His cool finish at the end of a scintillating counter-attack to secure the victory against Stoke was reminiscent of his league goal against Carlisle United last year.
When games get stretched, Saunders could be an ace up Barton's sleeve. The rule change adds value to fresh legs and dynamic options on the bench and the versatile forward offers exactly that, with his speed and relentless work ethic the last thing tiring defenders will want to see.
Chemistry is building
Fitness has been the absolute priority of the pre-season schedule, but Barton will be buoyed by the chemistry that is building between players new and old. He said after the game that the relationships between his players on the pitch have not been the focus of training, but instead ensuring that the reserves of endurance are as deep as possible.
That synergy is developing naturally with each passing game, and there was no clearer example than the slick move that carved open the left side of Stoke's defence and led to the opening goal.
Antony Evans peeled away from the centre into a trademark position on the right wing and exchanged neat passes with Harry Anderson, who had drifted in off the touchline. Stoke were focused on closing them down and did not account for the run of summer signing James Gibbons, who surged into the vacated space and received a perfectly-timed pass from Anderson to set him free.
A high-percentage cross would follow, with former Port Vale full-back cutting the ball across the six-yard area and Flint made a mess of his clearance giving the Gas the lead.
Yes, we know it's pre-season, and we're not getting carried away, but these are encouraging signs with little more than a week until the campaign begins.
Hoole's an option
Barton has made no secret of his desire to strengthen his defensive ranks. Connor Taylor's return to Stoke at the end of a brilliant loan spell, plus the release of Cian Harries have left Rovers light on numbers at the back.
James Connolly has been the only addition in central defence, but by making his loan from Cardiff City permanent he adds nothing new to what the Gas had last season.
Clearly, a return for Taylor on loan again is atop the agenda for the manager, but he will have to continue to wait it out as Stoke take every opportunity to assess the 20-year-old – who was given the night off on Tuesday after a busy few weeks – before deciding his next steps, as is their gift. That could take several weeks with Stoke also awaiting Harry Souttar's return to fitness.
In the meantime, Barton needs to be proactive and add depth to the position, and he has identified Luca Hoole as an internal solution that deepens the depth chart. He stepped in alongside Connolly with Alfie Kilgour sidelined due to a training-ground knock.
Hoole was impressively assured in the middle of the back four, which should be no surprise after he made the seamless transition from academy graduate to first-team regular last year. He has the physicality required and there is a sense his long-term future is at centre-back.
He's not the answer just yet, but Hoole can certainly do a job in the heart of the defence and that goes some way to bolstering the depth of an area of need for the Gas.
Westbrooke's shot at redemption
It seemed something of a foregone conclusion at the start of pre-season that Zain Westbrooke would not be in the squad by the end of the transfer window, but the midfielder is doing all he can to force his way back into contention.
The former Coventry City midfielder has endured two hellish years with the Gas. To be fair, he was one of the better performers in the relegation campaign, but that is not saying a great deal. And his stint in League Two saw him drift out of contention and endure an unsuccessful loan at Stevenage, where he was victim of managerial change soon after his arrival that was never going to work in his favour.
Westbrooke appeared short of options this summer. His reputation has been dented and he was not afforded the chance to put himself in the shop window in the second half last season due to matters out of his control.
His only choice has been to work hard, confront his weaknesses off the ball and take his chance if he gets one. By all accounts, he has done just that, and it was clear to see that he relished the physical side of the game more in Tuesday's win.
He has the technical ability to thrive at League One level; his time in the blue and white quarters has made it easy to forget he was a title-winner in this league with Coventry City.
As it stands, the 25-year-old – who has a year left on his contract – is in the manager's plans and he could have a chance to rewrite the narrative of his time in BS7 in the coming months.
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