Joey Barton believes the performance of his young backline was the key to Bristol Rovers' back-to-back wins over the Easter weekend.
Across games against Fleetwood Town and Charlton Athletic, Rovers faced just two shots on target and conceded one goal, coming in Monday's 2-1 victory over the Cods at Highbury Stadium, showing a marked improvement after shipping an average of 1.5 goals per game for most of the campaign.
But recent weeks have seen the Gas become a much more secure side, conceding just six goals in their past seven games with three clean sheets to lift them to 14th in the League One table leaving the Rovers manager to recognise their hard work.
"We’ve got a lot of young players and there are going to be ups and downs, but you’ve seen today, I’ve spoken about the age of the back four quite often but you have seen a maturation in their performances," Barton said.
"Lewis Gordon was excellent. He’s certainly come on from when we played Fleetwood at home when he was bombarded, and I think James Connolly has come back to some semblance of the top player we knew he was last season.
"He’s looking like his former self, and Luca Hoole the same. He’s had trials and tribulations but it was another fantastic, consistent performance from that back four and the old wise head in there, Lewis Gibson at 22, is the player who gets the goal, but it’s the defensive shift that they put in that gives us the platform to win the game."
Centre-half Gibson and right-back Hoole have been in outstanding form of late, while centre-back Connolly has shown significant improvements in the past two games after enduring a tricky season with fluctuations in performance and injury setbacks.
All have received significant praise from their manager, but 22-year-old left-back Gordon was singled out for upping his game as his first season with the Gas nears its end. Having joined as a free agent following his release from Brentford in the summer, Gordon has always shown strong technical ability, but Barton is delighted to see his man develop and hone his all-around game.
"I know some people criticise me, but my job is to get after them and sometimes you have to light a fire under some of the lads," the manager said. "No doubt, that is the whole of that back four. Lewis Gibson is slightly different because he’s had that fire lit under him when I’ve had him in the past.
"I think regular rhythm, game time, playing in a consistent back four with routines and patterns and familiarity is key for young players in terms of keeping them calm and composed.
"But then it’s over to the player and I said to Lewis (Gordon) he has got lots of ability and lots of qualities, but now he is doing the stuff he is not known for. We know he’s competent in possession and he should have an assist, Evo owes him an assist because he’s put in a helluva ball for Antony (Evans) at the back post and it was harder to miss from there rather than score.
"He’s starting to develop his overall game but I do think the man on the inside of him and that unit of the back four, some have got relationships from last season and they are bedding down. I think Lewis Gibson and Flash, as we call him, are now bedding down.
"It’s a young backline but it’s pleasing to watch them come together."
Barton knows there remains room for improvement and he has challenged his team to make sure their defensive record continues to improve until the end of the season.
"We’re disappointed with the goal we have given away because we should have stopped the cross coming in and then they have got first and second contact on it," Barton said of Jayden Stockley's header that put Fleetwood in front. "When we analyse that, there are parts of the game we will want to improve.
"But in the last two games against two competent teams with completely different styles, credit to the players. As a unit from the front to the back and Belly, they have done really well and hopefully, our meanness continues from now until the end of the season."
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