Joey Barton believes Ryan Loft is reaping the rewards of making himself a "24-hour athlete", with the Bristol Rovers striker enjoying an excellent run of form.
The 25-year-old has six goals and two assists in 18 appearances in all competitions this season – good numbers on paper – but those in attendance for Saturday's thrilling 2-2 draw with Plymouth Argyle at the Mem will have seen a target man at the top of his game.
He was able to occupy the attention of Argyle's back three, giving the League One leaders a chastening and bruising afternoon, and Loft showed the development in his all-round game with a sublime assist for Aaron Collins' equaliser.
After joining from Scunthorpe United in January for £50,000, Loft had struggled to make an impression as the Gas surged to promotion in League Two, with Collins and Elliot Anderson leading Rovers' attack, but Barton has paid tribute to the big man's efforts over the summer.
The result is he is now an indispensable member of the starting XI who has given the Gas a physical edge and invaluable intensity at the point of the attack; not only has Loft made himself a better player, but he is getting the best out of the teammates around him, too.
"I’m buzzing for him, I really am, because he is the epitome of hard work," Barton said. "If you keep working hard in this game and you keep turning up and doing the right things, it does reward you. That’s my experience of it. If you cut corners and you think you’re too cool for school, football has a funny way of tripping you up.
"Lofty is a player who has come in and through the disappointment of the team catching fire after his transfer, he had to go and work incredibly hard to stay with the group. Not only has he done that, but he has also become a massive part of what we’re doing.
"I look today, he’s unplayable at times, he really is. It’s not only that, it’s the shift he does for the team, which opens up channels and I know Azza is getting all the plaudits and if he gets the hat-trick ball, Rob Page’s Sunday roast is a bit trickier for him, but a lot of that comes off the bedrock of Ryan’s work and the shift he does for the team.
"I’m pleased that the fans recognised that and he gets the ovation and the man of the match. He works incredibly hard, not only on the hours. This is the thing with footballers, you get the training day but sometimes if you want to get better, you have to go beyond that. That’s taking yourself out to do extras or into the gym.
"Lofty has bought into that 24-hour athlete. He’s preparing properly, he’s eating properly, he’s doing everything he can in the extra-curricular stuff to make himself a better player. He’s 25 and looks like £50,000 well spent for us."
Barton revealed former first-team coach Kevin Bond, who left the club earlier this month, played a particularly big part in sparking Loft's upturn in fortunes with the Gas. But the Rovers boss says Loft has always had the ability within himself to reach the level he is at now.
"He’s a solid boy, I wouldn’t want a rumble with the big fella, and people forget his pedigree," Barton said. "He came through Spurs’ academy, he’s been at Leicester, so he’s not coming out of some barmy lower league and he’s so raw that you’ve got to put him together.
"Someone who deserves enormous credit is Kev Bond. Bondy was a big champion of Ryan and worked a lot with him on the individual stuff, the stuff that he has closed the gap on and built his confidence.
"This was last year when he wasn’t getting games because we had Aaron Collins and Elliot Anderson on fire.
"You can only lead the horse to water and they’ve got to have that desire to go and make themselves a player. We’re lucky, we’ve got a few boys who have grasped that concept and if you do that at a young enough age, you can have a fantastic career."
Loft's confidence is high amid a fine run of form, but Barton believes the best is yet to come from the striker.
"I don’t think strikers peak until they are 26," he explained. "I wouldn’t judge a striker and what he’s capable of until he’s 26, especially when they are tall like him. They take longer to come together because they are all arms and legs and there are growth spurts and confidence issues.
"He’s moving nicely, but so is Aaron Collins, and Josh Coburn made an impact, I thought he was excellent."
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