A frustrating afternoon was worth it in the end as Bristol Rovers' dominance eventually told in a crucial 2-1 win over Bradford City at the Mem on Saturday. As the shot count rose higher and higher, so did the possibility that the Gas would endure a damaging afternoon in their pursuit of promotion.
That would have been totally undeserved, but Bradford snatched the lead against the run of play and Joey Barton's side were heading for a second successive defeat that could have sent the Gas falling out of League Two's top seven. Mark Hughes' Bantams had not earned their lead but Dion Pereira finished clinically to catch Rovers cold seconds after the resumption.
Responding to adversity is a great strength of this team, though, and for all the chagrin stoked by each passing chance, belief never faded on the pitch or the terraces. The Gas have been beaten just three times in four months and they have not suffered successive losses in that time, and they made sure those records were preserved and their momentum had been regained.
