On-loan Brentford goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe has to start the next two games for Bristol Rovers due to a clause in the agreement with his parent club, manager Joey Barton has revealed.
Balcombe, aged 23, made his Gas debut in difficult circumstances on Saturday, replacing number-one James Belshaw for the 5-1 defeat at Morecambe. The former England youth international signed for the Gas until the end of the season last month after being recalled from a stint with League Two Crawley Town in the first half of the campaign.
Barton's decision to shake up his goalkeeping department has divided opinion amongst supporters, with Belshaw an incredibly popular figure at the club due to his part in last season's promotion and the subsequent connection he has built with people on the terraces.
But in an interview with BBC Radio Bristol, the manager said he needed to change the "status quo" and create more competition for places in his goalkeeping department, with Belshaw effectively having a free run at the starting spot for the past 12 months.
He revealed there is a stipulation from Brentford in Balcombe's deal that he must start the first three games after joining the club, meaning he is guaranteed to start the upcoming League One games against MK Dons and Lincoln City, fitness permitting.
"It was slightly different with the goalkeeper in terms of we wanted to bring in a keeper to push Belly because, in every healthy environment, you need competition," Barton said.
"But it is tough to find a keeper because keepers need to be playing regularly. Ellery was someone we highlighted and he was on loan at Crawley at the time and for Brentford to cut his loan short, they wanted different guarantees in it. He has to come in and play the first three games, otherwise, we have to pay a fee for him in terms of a loan fee. It stopped us from taking Ellery earlier in the window.
"We’ve conceded a lot of goals this season and it has been an Achilles heel, and I know what a good goalkeeper Belly is and you’re searching for that combination. To get better, sometimes you have to be aggressive and change the status quo.
"We decided after the Accrington game Belly needed competition and someone to push him. We knew when we made that decision with Ellery because Brentford were going to recall him from playing every week for Crawley, we’d have to give him a chance to play.
"He would have started in the Wycombe game but that got called off. Saturday was the first opportunity to do that and, obviously, it didn’t go to plan. The next two games are to give the kid a fair go because we do believe he is a good keeper."
The Gas have conceded 50 goals in 28 League One games this season. Belshaw, of course, is not solely to blame for that and there have been no more glaring errors than one would expect of a keeper in the third tier, but Barton believes Balcombe's arrival will raise the standards of performance, regardless of who is playing between the posts on a matchday.
And the manager thinks the next two games will give a fair sample size to make an educated decision on which man deserves the starting job for the foreseeable future.
"We know Belly is a good keeper as well, but to give him (Balcombe) a fair go, you can’t just put them in for one game," he added.
"For me, it was a difficult decision, but also in the aim of trying to get better, like when you have golf lessons, sometimes there is a dip before it gets better.
"I was disappointed in everybody on Saturday, I thought we weren’t good enough right across the board and obviously the keeper cops the flak for that because he comes into the role.
"But I think in two games’ time, we’ll know where we are and at that point, we will have a decision to see who retains the number-one jersey, but we’ve got what we wanted, which is competition for places."
Barton admits the decision to change goalkeepers is a "big risk", but he believes his decision-making record across almost two years at the club speaks for itself.
He said: "If he doesn’t (play the first three games), we have to pay a significant loan fee. For me, it was a case of if we’re bringing him in, we’ve got to give him the opportunity to show us what he can do.
"I don’t think a one-game sample is fair on anybody, especially being a debut for a club and knowing you are coming in to usurp last year’s player of the year. James was the fans’ player of the year.
"It’s a big risk, as it is bringing any player into your team, but when it’s the goalkeeper it’s high tariff and as the manager, you have to cop the flak for that. You make big calls and if I hadn’t got enough of those big calls correct over my tenure here, I wouldn’t be speaking to you."
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