With the skies murky, the rain falling and the football disjointed, it did not feel like an afternoon that would provide a special moment. But almost 18 years on from his debut as a fresh-faced teenager, Scott Sinclair – perhaps the finest product from Bristol Rovers' academy in recent decades – scored his first goal in the blue and white quarters.
His opportunistic finish was enough to beat League Two Rochdale 1-0 at the Mem, and it will not rank highly in aesthetic terms in a career ladened with high-class goals in the upper echelons of English and Scottish football, but it clearly meant a lot for a player who owes his start in the game to the Gas.
The 33-year-old made his first start for the club since returning as a free agent last month. In a game played in tough conditions, quality was in short supply, but Sinclair was the best player on the pitch and he added a fitting chapter to his BS7 story.
That moment will fondly be remembered by the player and fans alike, but looking ahead the manner in which he played may thrill Gasheads. He is still physically gifted with speed paired with the experience of a high-level career and he showed the impact he can provide over the weeks ahead.
Joey Barton hopes Sinclair's stay at the Mem lasts long beyond the end of his contract in January, but whatever happens, this was a goal it appeared would never be scored until his return to North Bristol became reality. Even if this second coming is short-lived, Sinclair has something to treasure.
Sinclair's moment
Winning goal, Thatchers End. It doesn't come much better for a Bristol Rovers player and it was a fitting way for Sinclair to open his account for his boyhood club. Almost two decades on from his pair of substitute appearances as a 15-year-old who would soon join Chelsea, he peeled into space at the back post, positioning himself perfectly to convert from James Gibbons' excellent flick-on from Antony Evans' corner.
Sinclair has scored many more beautiful goals, but his manager believed this one showed the intelligence of a player who cut it at the top level for more than a decade.
"The goal is as an experience goal, just gambling," Barton said. "He gets off the back of the runner and into a goalscoring area and he gets himself a tap-in. That is not easy, although he makes it look really easy because it’s an intelligent movement."
Like the manager, Gasheads will hope it is the first goal of many for Sinclair in his second spell at the club, and it is obvious he is still a quality operator despite joining Rovers without playing a game since the spring. His trio of substitute appearances have been eye-catching and he was clearly the best player on the pitch on Saturday.
He was so smooth receiving the ball wide left, wasting no time bringing it under his spell, and he showed bursts of speed to break into the box.
Two times he surged into the box in the first half and he was unlucky not to be rewarded with those. In the second half, he ought to have made it a brace but was denied by Richard O'Donnell from close range, so we could be talking about a hat-trick on another day, but on Saturday one was plenty.
Rovers will have Josh Coburn back available next week and perhaps Ryan Loft the week after that. The prospect of Sinclair forming a front three with Aaron Collins and one of the target men is an exciting one for Barton to ponder.
The Gas missed the presence of a big man leading the line against Rochdale's deep defence, but with either Loft or Coburn in the lineup alongside Collins and Sinclair, Barton would have a three-pronged attack that is full of goals and covers most bases, with the other big man and John Marquis available in reserve. The manager will look forward to seeing that in action.
Hard work but into the hat
It was like rewinding 12 months. The Gas were at home against a League Two side and they were struggling to break them down. Like back then, they did not have a physical striker to rely on with Ryan Loft injured and Josh Coburn prevented from playing by his parent club.
The circumstances made for a difficult afternoon for the Gas, with the conditions tricky and Rovers forced to break down a compact Rochdale team without the help of their most physical forwards.
But they got the job done, and in cup competitions that is all that matters. Sure, Barton will have wanted more patience on the ball rather than forcing it and giving Rochdale opportunities to counter, and the Gas could have been much more clinical to kill the game after going a goal up.
But they have avoided a replay, overcome a potential banana skin – with League One leaders Plymouth Argyle being thumped 5-1 at fourth-tier Grimsby Town showing the FA Cup makes no allowances for form – and important players got minutes into their legs.
James Connolly completed the 90 minutes after starting for the first time in more than two months since recovering from a back injury, and Sinclair played almost 80 minutes on his first start of the season. Both men are sure to play a big part in the coming weeks.
While this game was not an exhibition of Rovers' best football, it could be an important platform for what's to come. Of course, they are just one round from possibly meeting a Premier League team, and as the EFL Trophy showed in October, winning breeds confidence, no matter the competition.
Belshaw's pivotal role
Early in the second half, the game was starting to go Rochdale's way. In the first half, they looked dangerous, but most of their attacks fell victim to the offside flag.
But they had done enough to frustrate Rovers, and with half the ground closed, the atmosphere was going a bit flat. More mistakes were starting to creep in, with Bobby Thomas robbed by wily striker Ian Henderson on the edge of the box; the striker fired a warning shot wide of the target.
Moments later, Rochdale were in behind again. Devante Rodney has been played though and he had just James Belshaw to beat, but the Gas goalkeeper came up with a big save to keep it level, stretching low to his left and his wrist stayed firm to keep it out before gobbling up he loose ball.
It proved to be a pivotal moment. The momentum was flipping Rochdale's way but those scares and Belshaw's save seemed to be the fuel Rovers needed to spark into action. A wave of pressure followed and it told with Sinclair's winning goal.
Without the contributions of their goalkeeper, the Gas could have joined the list of teams upset in the cup on Saturday.
Time for a reunion
Attention swiftly turns back to the league campaign for the Gas and Fleetwood Town, who Barton managed from 2018-2021, are the next visitors to the Mem. The manager has prioritised beating the teams he expects to be in and around Rovers in the table, like Cheltenham Town, Cambridge United and MK Dons last month, and Scott Brown's side are another team in that category.
It will be the first time Barton will face his former employers since he was sacked in 2021, not too long after he took them to the League One play-offs, and he will be eager to get one over on the Cod Army and Brown, who he duelled once or twice during a brief spell in Scotland.
But those are mere subplots to an important game for Rovers. October was a very good month for the Gas, with three wins, three draws and a sole defeat in the league giving them a platform to build their season on.
After advancing in the cup on Saturday, Rovers will want to get their first league win for three games – a misleading statistic at face value given the Gas have faced a trio of bonafide promotion contenders in succession. But taking three points off Fleetwood would be a welcome addition to the tally, and if Barton gets his wish of players returning from injury, they should have every reason to be confident of doing so.
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