Joey Barton has dismissed any suggestion he will use Tuesday's EFL Trophy quarter-final clash with South West rivals Plymouth Argyle to rest and rotate; the Bristol Rovers boss says this one is personal.
Tuesday's tie at the Mem will be the third time the Gas and Argyle have met this season, with rivalry brewing between the coaching units and players. Barton stoked the fire before a pulsating 2-2 draw between the sides in October, going public with his dislike for Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip, adding yet more spice to a game with many Liverpudlian connections on and off the pitch.
Following that game, relations between the clubs have soured further with Rovers first-team coach Andy Mangan charged by The FA following an allegation of homophobic language made by a Plymouth staff member. Mangan strongly denies the accusations, which centre around a half-time incident outside the home dressing room, where Rovers allegedly noticed a person filming without permission.
