As far as EFL Trophy nights go, Tuesday ticked all the boxes for Joey Barton. Bristol Rovers, the beneficiaries of nine-man Swindon Town's ill-discipline, booked their place in the knockout phase of the competition with a 3-0 win at the Mem.
But more importantly for the manager, the fight for a place in his starting XI is intensifying, with several fringe players advancing their claims with strong performances against the League Two Robins, who gave themselves no chance with the dismissals of Ciaran Brennan and Ricky Aguiar before the pause.
Ryan Loft is not in the fringe player category; he is in possession of a starting place and scored his sixth goal of the campaign with plenty of panache against Swindon, lobbing goalkeeper Sol Brynn just after the hour mark to put Rovers ahead.
