Joey Barton has made a career out of proving people wrong and confounding expectations of him. But the Bristol Rovers manager has more than just human opinions to challenge this weekend against Forest Green Rovers, with the weight of football history also to contend with.
If Barton is looking for a motivation tool beyond just starting the season strongly and putting on a show at the Mem, he need only glance at the Gas' record down the years in opening day fixtures for a trend that could very do with being bucked right off.
In 22 curtain raisers this century, Rovers have won just four and only once in the last 17 years. The miserable run also contains only five draws, with 13 defeats - three of which were at the hands of Peterborough United, so just be thankful it's not the Posh in north Bristol this weekend.
It's a record that bizarrely Graham Coughlan blamed for the Gas' poor performance at Blackpool at the start of the 2019/20 campaign, claiming it affected team morale on the journey to Bloomfield Road.
In effect it means nothing to this group of players who, mostly, have only the 2-1 loss at Mansfield Town as reference. And even taking that game at Field Mill into consideration, it was the first after a frenzied summer recruitment drive with a number of new faces, including Paul Coutts who was sent off as he had returned from Covid-19.
Of the XI that started that game just over 12 months ago, it's likely that only three - Trevor Clarke, Harry Anderson and Luca Hoole - will be in the team against Forest Green, so you can make of that what you will.
However, while it may be unimportant and irrelevant, given the constantly changing and evolving squad in blue and white, it's undoubtedly a thing and a strange quirk of football fate that the Gas could do with reversing as they look to hit the ground running in League One.
The record is also tempered by the sheer volume of games that Rovers have played on the road on opening weekend due to the scheduling of the Bristol Balloon Fiesta. The festival usually falls on the second weekend in August, forcing City to play away, meaning they're at Ashton Gate for the previous weekend when the campaign traditionally kicks off.
The changing schedule this term, due to the World Cup in Qatar and the need for a winter break in the Premier League and Championship, means the start date has been brought forward a week, giving the Gas the opportunity to kick off at the Mem, something they've only done seven times this century.
You can see Rovers' record for their opening league game of the season since 2000 below...
- 2021/22 LOST 2-1 vs Mansfield Town (A)
- 2020/21 DREW 1-1 vs Sunderland (A)
- 2019/20 LOST 2-0 vs Blackpool (A)
- 2018/19 LOST 2-1 vs Peterborough United (A)
- 2017/18 LOST 1-0 vs Charlton Athletic (A)
- 2016/17 LOST 3-1 vs Scunthorpe United (A)
- 2015/16 LOST 1-0 vs Northampton Town (H)
- 2014/15 DREW 0-0 vs Grimsby Town (H)
- 2013/14 LOST 2-1 vs Exeter City (A)
- 2012/13 LOST 2-0 vs Oxford United (H)
- 2011/12 WON 3-2 vs AFC Wimbledon (A)
- 2010/11 LOST 3-0 vs Peterborough United (A)
- 2009/10 LOST 2-1 vs Leyton Orient (H)
- 2008/09 LOST 3-2 vs Carlisle United (H)
- 2007/08 DREW 1-1 vs Port Vale (A)
- 2006/07 LOST 4-1 vs Peterborough United (A)
- 2005/06 DREW 1-1 vs Barnet (A)
- 2004/05 WON 2-0 vs Mansfield Town (A)
- 2003/04 WON 3-1 vs Scunthorpe United (A)
- 2002/03 LOST 2-1 vs Torquay United (A)
- 2001/02 WON 1-0 vs Torquay United (H)
- 2000/01 DREW 1-1 vs Bournemouth (H)
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