Joey Barton believes there are signs of Antony Evans getting back to his best form for Bristol Rovers.
Evans, a driving force behind Rovers' promotion to League One last season, has endured something of a frustrating campaign in the third tier. He has remained a regular starter but he has not had the same influence on games that he mustered last year when he hit double figures for assists and goals.
Of course, Barton's shift in style towards a team built around two or three strikers depending on who plays has played its part in Evans being less of a scoring threat – with four goals and two assists in 30 league appearances – plus the increase in level stepping up from League Two is significant.
Still, the midfielder has contributed. The ceiling to his game is propped up by his immense attacking and creative talent, but his floor has risen significantly throughout his 18 months with Rovers to the point he has become a more rounded player, getting stuck into the midfield battle and making greater contributions off the ball – as shown by a disciplined and determined display against Ipswich Town in midweek.
Barton believes Evans' performance against Ipswich and other recent outings have been encouraging and he believes the playmaker is on his way back to his best form, with a tailored strength and conditioning programme reaping rewards.
"I thought he was really good last Saturday (against Lincoln City) as well and I’m seeing signs from Evo of being Evo, going past people and taking shots, being more aggressive," Barton said.
"You forget he is a young player. He played a lot of games last year and has gone up a level. He’s working on a tough strengthening programme to make him able to impose himself a bit more.
"Sometimes you don’t just get better. You get the odd player that does that, but most are a little bit up and a little bit down. The key is the dips aren’t too bad.
"Evo has kept turning up and kept scrapping, even in the midst of maybe not playing his best football this year. He’s still been out on the training pitch every day putting the work in and now he is starting to show signs of the great player we know Antony to be.
"Tuesday night, he had to show a different side by digging in and being a lot more disciplined, but I’ve definitely seen some of the signs of Evo capturing his top form again and, certainly in recent weeks, his work rate for the team has been first class."
While Evans' form is on the up, on-loan striker Josh Coburn has encountered the first speedbump of his stint with the Gas. The nine-goal Middlesbrough striker, doubtless affected by the dip in form of the entire team around him in 2023, had not scored for four games before he was dropped to the bench for Tuesday's goalless draw.
Barton says that decision was influenced by a minor knee issue – which has to be managed carefully considering a knee injury ruled him out for two months at the start of the season – but he also believes Coburn, who played 14 minutes as a substitute against Ipswich, will benefit from a brief moment of respite after racking up almost 1,500 minutes of action in League One since October.
"He’s fine, he’s got a little bit of a knock in his knee," Barton said. "I spoke to him and said how young players come in and play a lot of games. Josh has played a lot of minutes and sometimes you need a breath to reset and go again.
"As soon as I found out he had a bit of a niggle around his knee area, we were not going to have a lot of the ball in the Ipswich game because of the strategy we were employing. We thought Aaron was better to spring that counter-attack, knowing we could bring Josh into the game later on.
"He accepts he is part of the group, part of the squad and he’s played a lot of minutes. He understands it’s a squad game and he’s a top kid and a top pro.
"He got on with it. He was disappointed because they all want to play, especially the big games, but he channelled it in the right direction."
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