Joey Barton was pleased to see his Bristol Rovers players take "steps in the right direction" after taking a deserved point from a hard-fought battle with promotion-chasing Barnsley at the Mem on Saturday.
Neither side could find the back of the net, but this was an entertaining contest as the Gas gave as good as they got against Michael Duff's Tykes, who had won their previous four games before turning up at the Mem.
Rovers' defensive record has held them back all season, but they have kept three clean sheets in the past four games and they have a strong centre-back partnership developing in Jarell Quansah and Lewis Gibson, both of whom made big contributions in a commendable display.
Ahead of the game, Barton described Barnsley as the toughest matchup for them in League One with the direct, high-pressing style, but the Gas boss was delighted to see his side hold firm.
"It was a good game against the in-form team in the division and they have been free-scoring and with the evolution of this group, it was probably as tough a test at the junction we're at," he said.
"This was the true acid test for our progress in recent weeks and I thought the lads were outstanding. I’m really proud of a lot of performances out there and barring one moment in the first half, the lads were superb.
"I’m a bit disappointed we haven’t converted one of our chances and caused a bit of an upset.
"Three clean sheets in four, two against free-scoring teams in Ipswich and Barnsley today. Steps in the right direction.
"It would have been nice to win the game, but it was a good scrap, they are a really good side and I said to the boys before the game that it will be a good test for where we are at the moment."
Rovers remain 15th in League One with a welcome 10-point buffer to the relegation zone with 12 games remaining. Barnsley stayed in sixth.
Rovers' best chances fell to Quansah from set plays either side of half time. He has also had several chances to score in recent weeks that have not been converted, but Barton believes the goals will come and, most importantly, he is doing a fine job for the Gas defensively.
"He’s getting closer," Barton said with a smile. "He’s in there and making himself a nuisance and getting free. He could have had four goals in his league career in a short amount of games.
"His defensive performance and all-round performance would have warranted getting the winning goal in the match because you can see the quality operator he is.
"The other side of that is the player we lost in Bobby Thomas. Bob played well today and he’s going to be a good player, but I don’t think he’s in the same category as Jarell and I think history will prove me correct on that."
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