Almost four months ago, Bristol Rovers were outplayed on their own patch by former manager Ben Garner’s new club Swindon Town. The Gas were booed off the pitch after the defeat on October 2 which left them with 10 points from a possible 30 labouring near the depths of League Two, with things certainly looking bleak for the blue half of Bristol.
Sixteen weeks and 13 league games later, the Gas are developing into a much different side. So much so that Joey Barton and Rovers were understandably disappointed to not leave the County Ground with all three points, having controlled the Robins for large parts of Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
Tyreece Simpson netted the opener for Swindon after a slight error from January loan signing James Connolly, but that goal was cancelled out 10 minutes before half time courtesy of a Sam Finley cross that evaded everyone before nestling in the far corner, although Connor Taylor and Aaron Collins both tried to claim the goal.
In the second half, the Gas enjoyed most of the play, aided by a defence with an average age of 20.5 that kept the dangerous Harry McKirdy and Simpson relatively quiet.
However, Rovers weren’t able to find that crucial goal and while it could prove to be a valuable point, Barton’s side will have to start beating the teams in and around the play-offs if they wish to displace them.
Here are some of the moments you may have missed from Rovers' trip to the County Ground...
Contrasting celebrations of 'goalscorers'
Despite the conclusion of Saturday’s match being more than 48 hours ago, exactly who scored The Gas’ equaliser is still up for some debate. Connor Taylor, Aaron Collins and Sam Finley all believe they got the final touch, and all three celebrated the goal in their own way.
As any striker would do, Collins wheeled away claiming he got the final touch and further signified that with a firm tap of the badge and an emphatic knee slide in front of thousands of Gasheads.
Taylor, at first, regained his balance after leaping to meet the cross but once he saw no flag from the linesmen and Collins sprinting past him, the Stoke loanee jumped into the air in celebration and caught the eye of a few Gasheads before celebrating directly in front of them.
Meanwhile, Finley waited a significant number of seconds before he joined the players in the corner after the linesman signalled to those on the pitch he saw no touch and thus wouldn’t raise his flag, indicating why Finley was so convinced the goal was his.
No matter who scored though it was another goal that came via a cross for the Gas, showing that when they get bodies into the box and cause problems for defenders through their mere presence, they can score goals.
A week previously against Hartlepool, Antony Evans and Ryan Loft both threw themselves at Sam Nicholson’s cross, leading to an unconvincing clearance that Collins lashed home, and again on Saturday more than one player in quarters threw everything into getting on the end of a cross and it resulted in another goal.
Joey’s pre-match wander
Rarely does Joey Barton get too involved on the pitch before kick-off, often remaining in his office at home games – as many mangers do – while Andy Magnan, Tom Short and Kevin Bond run the warm-ups.
Even away from home, spotting the Gas boss before kick-off is uncommon. However, in the build-up to the clash with Swindon, Barton was a constant presence.
At roughly 2.05pm, Barton emerged from the tunnel flanked by many of his coaching staff. At first, he was a statuesque figure overlooking the field of play but his stance soon changed.
With just a few groundsmen making some final amendments, Barton trudged slowly onto the pitch and all the way to the halfway line, testing the surface, while looking deep in conversation on the phone.
The Gas boss then made his way back to the edge of the pitch before taking a seat in the dugout, likely the one assigned to him. However, Barton barely used his seat on Saturday, taking in every minute of the match itself on his feet.
The manager also kept a close eye on his squad as they loosened up, strolling around with a cup of something warm to drink.
After the game, he stayed on the pitch for several minutes after the conclusion of his press conference, holding a debrief with his coaches, analysts and CEO Tom Gorringe.
Barton’s message to Gasheads
A perfect example of how Barton lived through the 90 minutes with the 2,473 spectators inside the County Ground of a Rovers persuasion came just a few minutes before half time, which brought a thunderous roar from the away end.
As always, the Gasheads were in fine voice and their rendition of Goodnight Irene minutes before kick-off was booming despite the terrible acoustics in an uncovered away end.
They had to be patient in the opening stages when Swindon were in control and ultimately took the lead, but the eruption from the away end in the 35th minute when Rovers equalised showed it was clearly worth the wait.
Just a few minutes later, Gasheads were making all the noise again, although this time it wasn’t from a chance or a goal but instead an animated gesture from their manager.
With Rovers on top, and excitement rumbling in the stands, Barton lifted both arms in the direction of the away supporters, encouraging them to keep the noise coming sensing that his players were firmly on top in the game and with the support, could nick a second goal before the interval.
That game-winning goal didn’t quite arrive, but there is a sense of growing belief shared by fans and the manager.
Belshaw and Finley calm things down
Although their manager was ecstatic on the sidelines, sensing his side could turn the game on its head before the break, two players on the pitch made a subtle yet smart decision to slow the game down just to ensure Rovers were not too naive with the interval looming
James Belshaw made a commanding claim from a Swindon cross and looked to move the ball on quickly with both Collins and Sam Nicholson darting into the channels in search of a long punt from the Rovers number one.
However, Sam Finley quickly indicated to Belshaw to consider his options and think about potentially slowing the game down to prevent Rovers from leaving the defence exposed with just a minute or two remaining until half time.
That is the kind of game management Rovers have sorely missed in recent times, but the nous of their experienced players was apparent on Saturday.
Blades reunited
Saturday’s game saw an intense midfield battle with both sides strong in the engine room. Jonny Williams and Antony Evans provided the energy, Ben Gladwin and Sam Finley brought the vision while Louis Reed and Paul Coutts screened their respective backlines impressively – something the latter duo have likely done against each other before, just in a very different format.
Coutts and Reed were both members of the Sheffield United squad between 2015 and 2018 and endured varying spells at the Championship club during their four-year first-team spells with the team.
Coutts joined from Derby County in January 2014 and won two promotions with the Blades, but his later years with the club were soured by a year out with a broken leg suffered in 2017.
Reed, on the other hand, became the youngest player to come through the Blades youth setup and play for the first team at 16 years and 257 days old. And the pair briefly linked up again with a quick handshake as the teams were swapping ends.
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