The good vibes continue to flow at Bristol Rovers as Joey Barton and his players commence their pre-season training programme. The joy of promotion remains, but the excitement of a new challenge is taking over.
The return of James Connolly and a new deal for Antony Evans are pieces of the band being put back together, and while members of the May 7 ensemble may not return and go on to forge solo careers, Barton took charge at The Quarters on Monday in a position of strength.
Plenty of work remains to be done in the transfer market, but in signing Jordan Rossiter and James Gibbons, the Gas boss has enhanced areas of the pitch where his resources were already impressive. Rossiter joins a midfield corps of Paul Coutts, Sam Finley and Evans, making a midfield that was already League One ready even stronger.
Versatile defender Gibbons, meanwhile, will compete with newly-capped Wales Under-21 international Luca Hoole for the right-back spot as well as offering more tactical options such as playing in a back three.
The former Fleetwood Town and Port Vale stalwarts are coveted pieces of the pre-season puzzle. The character references are strong and things are taking shape nicely for the Gas.
The heroics of the final day against Scunthorpe have been immortalised at the training ground, with a picture of the jubilant celebrations spanning an entire wall inside. A video released by the club gave an insight into the schedule for the day, with gym work preceding a session on the perfectly manicured playing surfaces in Almondsbury. Unlike the days of old, the ball was not neglected in favour of solely gruelling fitness work.
The mood around the camp, understandably, is high. Rovers are understood to be particularly pleased with the return of Connolly, that he was signed before pre-season and the relatively modest £150,000 fee they could pay Cardiff City over the course of his three-year deal if certain clauses are met.
Barton, of course, has earned the luxury of starting from a solid base, unlike the near-complete rebuild he had to plot a year ago. The core of his group remains with James Belshaw, Aaron Collins and Harry Anderson among promotion heroes ready for the step up to League One.
With the likes of Josh Grant, Trevor Clarke, Alfie Kilgour, Harvey Saunders and Ryan Loft also raring to go after varying degrees of individual frustration last season due to injuries or limited roles in Rovers' on the pitch, this is a squad in a healthy place a month away from the start of the season.
The recruitment job is not yet finished, of course. Rovers are eager to sign former Ipswich Town striker James Norwood and are competing with Oxford United for the veteran goalscorer. Should the 31-year-old move to the Mem, Barton's attacking options would be strengthened and diversified. The manager has always maintained Collins' natural gifts would make him a fine second striker or number 10 for the Gas, and a new signing on the frontline could enable Barton to employ him in such a role.
Collins is equally effective out wide, too, mitigating somewhat for the loss of Sam Nicholson after his return to the MLS with Colorado Rapids. But the flanks do appear an area of the squad in need of some attention, although Ryan Jones will be eager to advance his case after returning from a loan spell at Bath City at the end of last season.
Connolly's return went some way to addressing Rovers' needs in the heart of defence, and Gibbons' versatility is handy in that regard, but centre-back is likely to be an area of focus and the Gas continue to keep tabs on Connor Taylor's availability with the 20-year-old part of Michael O'Neill's Stoke City squad for pre-season. The signings of Aden Flint and Harry Clarke by Stoke appear to increase the chances of Taylor being available for loan again but for now suitors must wait.
In terms of departures, Zain Westbrooke appears a natural candidate to move on after spending the second half of last season on loan at Stevenage, but he was pictured at Rovers' first training session on Monday and could feature on Friday when the first week of pre-season culminates with a friendly at Melksham Town's Oakfield Stadium.
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