Joey Barton believes a stint out of the firing line for Bristol Rovers James Connolly will do him the world of good after a chastening start to 2023.
Connolly has been hugely impressive in a Rovers shirt since arriving as an unheralded loan signing from Cardiff City in January 2022, going on to play a pivotal part in the promotion to League One and earning a permanent move to the Mem. He followed that up with an injury-hit start to life in League One, but since returning to action in October after a back issue, he was an ever-present part of Barton's XI.
That was until last month, when Connolly was replaced by fit-again Lewis Gibson as Barton tried to solidify a team which had endured a six-game winless run in the league. With Gibson and Liverpool loanee Jarell Quansah at the heart of the back four, Rovers have taken four points from games against Oxford United and Barnsley.
Prior to losing his place in the team, Connolly appeared to be one of several players short of form and confidence, no doubt influenced by a number of decisions going against him including a pair of bungled calls by the officials in the defeat at Lincoln City last month.
The 21-year-old appeared to be fouled as Regan Poole scored the opener and the officials later missed an act of violent conduct by Lewis Montsma on the Gas defender, which was later picked up and punished by the FA.
Barton believes Connolly is in a similar situation to where fellow Wales under-21 defender Luca Hoole was earlier this season, suffering his first loss of confidence after making a brilliant breakthrough into senior football, and the centre-half has been backed by his manager to benefit from a pause, expecting him to bounce back better than ever.
"You’ve seen it with Luca Hoole," Barton said when asked about Connolly's situation. "Young players go through cycles and, yeah, we all want to sign a Wayne Rooney who at 16 is a man and don’t look back from there, but they are like hen’s teeth, aren’t they? We all know how difficult it is to find that calibre of player and they are the exception to the rule.
"Other young players, the mere mortals among us, you go through flows and we’ve seen it with Luca Hoole this season, he was brilliant last season and James Connolly was the same.
"James hasn’t had the ability like Hooley has had to come out of the team and just watch a few games, resettle yourself, re-centre yourself and come back stronger because we’ve needed him to play with Alfie Kilgour and Bobby Thomas leaving and then Lewis Gibson injured.
"Now we have got the ability to give him a bit of a timeout and he’ll be back even better from that because he is a top-quality player.
"People forget he’s only 21, he’s a baby in the embryonic stage and he’s chalked up 40-odd games in succession and he’ll be back, no doubt better for the experience."
Connolly has made 45 league appearances for the Gas since making his senior debut in an FA Cup defeat to then-Championship side Peterborough United in January 2022. He would go on to form a rock-solid partnership with Stoke City loanee Connor Taylor in the run-in, playing a massive part in Rovers' surge into the top three on the final day of the season.
He has found himself in an unfortunate position this season, returning from a significant injury to take on the senior role in a struggling backline. He performed doggedly in a pressured situation, but a chance to recharge and refocus his mind more than his body has come at a good time.
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