The ups and downs of a gruelling 46-game season are encapsulated by John Marquis' status in Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers squad. If we are counting top scorer Aaron Collins as a support striker/winger, Marquis has often found himself at the bottom of a three-man pecking order.
Both Ryan Loft and Josh Coburn have taken turns as Rovers' number nine this season and they have both enjoyed success, but two-thirds of the way through the campaign, Marquis – for now, after 20 straight games out of the starting XI – has made the position his own.
The 30-year-old – League One's top scorer in his Doncaster Rovers days – has started the past two games as the focal point of a front three with Collins and Scott Sinclair flanking him, and by and large, it has worked well.
Marquis scored a superb header before Rovers' performance went off the rails in the defeat to Burton Albion, and while he was not on the scoresheet in the win at Oxford United last time out, he was hugely effective in his hold-up play and contributed in the build-up to both goals in the first half of a 3-0 victory.
With Coburn looking short of full fitness – Barton revealed he has been battling a knee niggle – and Loft back this weekend after a three-game suspension, Marquis' run in the XI is set to continue against an in-form Barnsley at the Mem on Saturday.
Marquis has seven goals and three assists in his 29 appearances this season – a significant proportion if which have come from the bench – and although the starting role has rarely been in his possession in recent months, he has struck up a rapport with the Gasheads.
Rovers fans back their players, but when it comes to strikers, it is always apparent if a fanbase does not fancy them. That is absolutely not the case for Marquis, with his unselfishness not going unnoticed on the terraces and "Super Johnny Marquis" a regular number in the Gasheads' songbook.
That was the case at Oxford when he was given a huge ovation from the packed away section when he exited the field midway through the second half to make way for Coburn. Having signed for Portsmouth for £1million, it was not enough for their fans to be a hard-working one-in-three-or-four kind of striker, but as a free agent addition for the Gas, he is delivering value.
Marquis joined the Gas as a free agent in the summer after a challenging stint at Portsmouth and a short-lived spell with Lincoln City. Looking at his Rovers career so far, he will likely have mixed feelings. He joined to be the starter, the main man up top, but he has had to share the load given the strength in depth Barton has at his disposal at the top end of the pitch.
However, the talk from around the team is Marquis is a big part of the group and his unselfish, hard-grafting style off the pitch translates to his work off it, too.
And with the team in a moment of need, suffering five defeats in six league games, Marquis' experience has been telling. He did his bit against Burton despite the result and he did the job his team needed against Oxford.
This case underlines the importance of building a squad, not just a team. Nine-goal striker Coburn has been a fantastic loan signing and his potential is huge, but he is in the midst of his first dip as a Rovers player due to the toll of a taxing schedule. Loft, meanwhile, was on a barnstorming run in the autumn when he was arguably Rovers' most in-form player, but he has suffered a loss of momentum due to injuries and suspensions.
All the while, excluding a six-game absence with a knee injury from a nasty challenge in the EFL Trophy against Crystal Palace under-21s, Marquis has been plugging away in the background. Now, he has his chance to be the leading man and he is doing an effective job.
He may not have the efficiency of Coburn in front of goal or the physical prowess of Loft, but he is somewhere between those two players in terms of style. His movement is educated and he knows how to upset a defender with a well-timed nudge or some choice words in their ear.
While Coburn and Loft merited selection ahead of him earlier in the season, Marquis has still been effective. He scored the winner against Oxford early in the season and he made an immense contribution off the bench at Charlton Athletic in December, scoring both goals in a famous win.
So while the raw numbers for a player who has scored more than 100 EFL goals may be unremarkable, he has certainly played his part.
He is on course to hit double figures across all competitions by the end of the campaign, particularly if he retains his starting berth, and he has contributed to a strong attacking season for the Gas, so expect his name to be sung several more times this season.
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