A game against League One leaders Plymouth Argyle, in front of a packed and fervent Mem with momentum behind Bristol Rovers and a healthy away following are ingredients enough for a special atmosphere on Saturday.
But beyond his duties, responsibilities and obligations as Rovers manager, and a will to overcome the current best team in the division, there will be a personal quest behind what drives Joey Barton.
Common wisdom is that Barton’s professional career began at Manchester City which is true, to an extent, but the prequel to his time at Maine Road and now the Etihad Stadium was with boyhood club Everton, who he joined when he was eight, as a bluenose from birth, but was released when he was just 14.
