It was the coldest ticket in town, as just 864 sustained temperatures of -2C at the Mem, just 11 days before Christmas, in a competition that tends to attract emotions wavering between, at best, apathy to downright outright anger at how it’s been meddled with over the last few years.
But for the lack of occasion in BS7 that appeared from afar, Bristol Rovers delivered an impressive performance to beat MK Dons 4-1 and advance into the quarter-finals of the Papa Johns Trophy where they are now two games from a date at Wembley. And should they secure such a prize, you can be sure that the crowd number present will swell considerably by the time the final comes around.
The Gas are certainly playing well enough to do so, as they maintained their excellent form across autumn and now into winter, keeping momentum and that winning feeling, while Joey Barton was able to rest and rotate elements of his squad in preparation for the league fixtures on the horizon.
John Marquis’ double, Luca Hoole’s header and a fine Harvey Saunders strike did the business as the Gas can look forward to the quarter-final draw with interest as the competition loses its regionalisation, opening up the possible pathways for each team.
Ruthless Rovers
As the Rovers squad were engaging in some rapid-fire rondos before kick-off with Andy Mangan, Danny Ventre, Glenn Whelan and Tom Short delivering various instructions, while whooping and cackling with delight when somebody was ‘megged, Joey Barton was looking in a different direction.
Having checked that the requisite intensity was part of the Gas’ pre-match drill, the manager wandered towards the centre circle in his own domain. Casting an eye downfield he took a good few minutes to observe the parallel warm-up that was taking place by the MK Dons squad.
It was noticeably a little slower, more languid, a gentle introduction before the match was to begin in 40 minutes time. As Barton noted one or two of the Dons squad were wearing gloves or snoods, and essentially didn’t look like they really wanted to be in Bristol on a brutally cold December night.
Not offering excuses for such an apparent display of attitude but they appear in a tailspin and played like a team without a manager or senior coaching staff would do; there were some nice combinations and exchanges but not a lot of coherence or chemistry from front to back.
After four defeats in their previous six games, they were a wounded animal for the taking and although the Gas weren’t quite at their clinical best in the first half - as Aaron Collins could have put them 1-0 up inside 10 minutes only to be dangerously impeded when faced with an open goal - Hoole’s header saw the confidence and shape visible drain from the visitors.
Injuries and substitutions did slightly impact Rovers approach but after half-time they were ruthless in their execution as Marquis scored two in the space of 12 minutes, with two smart finishes amid an ocean of space as the Dons defence parted.
A neatly converted goal at the far post, after Josh Coburn had inexplicably missed Evans’ centre, was then followed by a strike that probably hasn’t been considered part of his repertoire, with the 30-year-old letting fly from range on the run after Coburn had helped on Jaakkola’s big boot downfield.
Saunders then needed mere seconds to put the result beyond doubt, getting his knee over the ball and connecting well to crash home a left-footed finish, and outside of Mo Eisa’s contentious penalty, Anssi Jaakkola was never troubled. It was a nice tie for Rovers to have - a struggling and managerless team, who by Barton’s estimation didn’t want to be in BS7 - but his side still needed to get the job done, as the result and scoreline emphasises.
Cause for concern
Although Rovers could manage the game to a degree, as they didn’t need to be anywhere near their very best to beat what proved poor opposition, there were some side effects from the dose of confidence they injected in themselves.
Collins’ departure in the opening exchanges looked deeply worrying as he winced his way around the pitch, his arms never leaving the shoulders of the two physios. Rossiter’s injury appeared out of nowhere, the Scouser raising his arm and knowing instantly something had happened.
As Barton later revealed, Bobby Thomas was experiencing a tight groin, Paul Coutts was treated for a head injury, Antony Evans was clattered numerous times, including right at the end when he could barely stand up for a few moments, grasping his hip in agony, while Harvey Saunders was also seen after the game with heavy strapping and ice around his foot and ankle.
For a competition in which teams don’t tend to go all guns blazing, in front of a small crowd, in freezing temperatures and with a clear gap in quality between the teams, and one side growing increasingly disinterested as the match progressed, it didn’t exactly offer the textbook environment for a fiery contest.
Yet Rovers were on the end of some robust and, on occasions, rash challenges from the start and it’s slightly perplexing why referee Declan Bourne only issued one yellow card a piece during the game - while later harshly sending Alfie Kilgour off.
Barton ruled the injuries as normal “bumps and bruises” and while concerned at the manner in which Collins was felled, seemed confident the Welshman would be okay. Collins himself was moving freely in the tunnel after the game having been examined.
Saunders too, laughed off his ailment as just part of the game. Barton joked that Evans had just one of those nights where he was put through the mill a bit and would be fine, while hopeful that Rossiter’s knee wouldn’t prove to be anything serious - although confirmation of that will come in Saturday’s selection at Charlton Athletic.
The prospect of Collins, Rossiter and Evans missing from the match at The Valley would be challenging to say the least but it looks like, at least for now, that while one, maybe two, of those names won’t be available this weekend, it could have been much worse.
The team works
Collins’ value to Rovers is obvious; The Not The Top 20 podcast made the very astute observation that such is his all-round forward play when he’s on the field it’s almost like having two forwards - the 25-year-old is a finisher, and creator.
But if there was a “benefit” - as such - to come from his injury (which is totally the wrong turn of phrase but bear with) it’s that Rovers showed they didn’t need him on the field to win a game for them.
Yes, they were playing against a pretty abject side in the Papa Johns Trophy, rather than the ferocity and competitiveness of League One, but whereas Collins can be a bit of a Roy of the Rovers-like figure for the Gas - as witnessed against Port Vale on Saturday - by producing specific moments of inspiration to turn games, quite often out of sync with the general ebb and flow of a game, this performance and result was born out of a collective effort.
From the composure of the back three, with Hoole given a much-needed confidence boost with his performance and Thomas impressing in the middle, to the creativity and nous displayed in midfield, as Luke McCormick looked more like the Luke McCormick we all want him to be, and then in the final third as Marquis had his shooting boots on.
Hoole by his and his manager’s admission has struggled with form, his positional change inside to a centre-back and the progression of Thomas and Lewis Gibson plus the return to fitness of James Connolly; when he’s needed to play himself back into contention, he’s simply been unable to.
McCormick hasn’t hit the standards expected by himself, first and foremost, but also his manager and has, as a result, appeared a little inhibited when he’s been afforded minutes. Marquis’ time at the club so far has also been frustrating as he thought he was up and running with his goal at Exeter City only to suffer an injury the following week that put him out for more than two months as Josh Coburn stamped his credentials on this team and league.
But all three displayed better versions of themselves, not only beneficial in the moment, in terms of securing the result, but should also bear fruit over the coming weeks as the fixture schedule means that rotation is an inevitability.
Beyond that trio, though, it’s also worth highlighting that James Gibbons was calm and committed and performed exactly what was asked of him in an understated display; Saunders’ goal was, firstly, an excellent finish but also exactly what you want an attacking substitute to do and will keep his confidence ticking over, while continuing to make him feel part of the group; Coutts also got another impressive 45 minutes under his belt, albeit in circumstances that Barton wished he could have avoided, and the Scot once again ran things from the centre of midfield when introduced.
Killer for Kilgour
We don’t want to end on a negative, as such, but if there was one man associated with the Gas who left the Mem in a less than joyful mood, it was Kilgour.
In what was his first appearance for almost two months, the centre-back lasted just nine minutes on the field as he was cruelly sent off for the slightest of shoves on Mo Eisa, in which the striker then won and scored a late penalty to reduce the deficit.
Granted, Eisa had got the wrong side of him and it probably was a penalty but to say Kilgour was denying a clear goalscoring opportunity would take some serious casework, especially with Anssi Jaakkola so near to the ball as the Dons player hit the deck.
To have the double blow of a penalty and dismissal seemed severe, and outside of the injuries, was the other sour point of the night but it speaks of the rotten luck Kilgour is experiencing this campaign.
In the final year of his contract he’s had injury issues, has fallen below Thomas, Connolly, Gibson and potentially even Hoole in the central defensive positions and when he’s finally afforded a chance to impress, is on the end a pretty harsh decision. Albeit one he forced the referee into making.
An excellent professional, a great ambassador for the club, who can clearly offer something to this team and an individual who obviously brings a certain identity to the dressing room, you hope these sort of incidents don’t have an impact on the individual far beyond the moment in which they occur as he’ll no doubt be furious it proved an opportunity wasted.
Rovers may well choose to appeal the decision, as was the case with Kilgour’s other red card this season at Ipswich Town - again, another case of ill-fortune - and it was hard not to feel for the Bath-born defender as Bourne raised the red card high into the air. It’s been a season where, so far, much has been against him.
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