Sam Finley is in an unfamiliar position. At varying heights of the pyramid, he has played in good teams, but none are like this Bristol Rovers side of which he is a pivotal player.
It is the attacking firepower which sets the Gas apart, and it has got the 30-year-old midfielder dreaming of a trip to Wembley and much more. Confidence is soaring amongst Joey Barton's squad because they believe there are enough goals in the team to win any game.
The numbers bare this out. The Gas have hit 42 goals in 46 League One games, with Aaron Collins atop the scoring charts with 13 and Josh Coburn is not far behind with nine in 15 games, powering the Gas to eighth place after three months of consistently strong form.
Although everyone at Rovers admits the defensive record – 43 goals conceded – needs work, the arsenal of attacking weapons they have at their disposal has proliferated belief that they can contend this season.
"I don’t think I’ve played in a side as good as we’ve got going forward with Aaron Collins, Josh Coburn, John Marquis, Ryan Loft, Scotty Sinclair and Harry Anderson," former Accrington Stanley, Fleetwood Town and AFC Fylde midfielder Finley said.
"If we keep a clean sheet, we are going to win the game. That’s what we say in the changing room before every game. With the firepower we’ve got, we know if we keep a clean sheet we are going to win the game because we know with the quality we’ve got we’re going to score goals.
"Obviously, it’s a work in progress. We’ve conceded a goal each in the past two games and if we get that down to a clean sheet, I’m sure we’ll start climbing the table higher than we already have.
"We’ve played everyone now so we’ve seen what the league has to offer and it is good confidence for us. We’ve been to Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich, we’ve seen the big hitters in the league and we know we can go there.
"Most of them have got to come to the Mem and we know it will be tough for them and we can get results against these big teams. It is great for Bristol Rovers to be thinking Sheffield Wednesday can come to the Mem and we’re confident we can turn them over, it’s brilliant for the football club."
After 10 games and just two victories, Gasheads were fearful of a season spent fighting at the wrong end of the table, but they have taken 29 points from the 16 games since and Barton believes they have emerged as "dark horses" to gatecrash the promotion picture.
The Rovers boss has challenged his players to break new ground in recent Rovers history and Finley says the squad has bought into his lofty aim of reaching the Championship, be it this season or beyond.
"The gaffer always tells us that in January we’re going to be bringing bodies in and making the squad a lot better than it was. He’s always looking to improve," he said.
"Last season is gone and it was great for the football club and everyone involved, but we can’t keep dwelling on it because it’s a totally different league this year and you’ve seen how tough it is.
"Naturally in the changing room, after the gaffer has had a talk, you check the table and see where you are in the table and how the results went around you, but it’s the old cliché of taking it game by game.
"We’ve played a few more games than everybody else and that goes either way. You like to have points on the board or you’d like to be chasing and it’s either way for most people. You’re always checking and looking around, but the next game is the most important for me.
"Since it’s been the Championship, Rovers haven’t played in Championship and for a club as big as it is and a city as big as it is, why not go and play in the Championship?
"Obviously, with the new ground that is getting spoken about and everything that is in place – the gaffer, the staff, the chairman – everyone involved in the football club wants to climb as high as possible so why not aim high and aim for the Championship? It would be a brilliant feat for the football club."
Next up for the Gas is the EFL Trophy quarter-final clash with Plymouth Argyle at the Mem on Tuesday evening, and aside from the rivalry between two South West clubs with significant Liverpudlian influences on and off the pitch, there is the chance to move one step closer to a Wembley final.
That is motivation enough to ensure the Gas will be playing at full throttle.
"I’m not sure what the gaffer is going to do with his team selection but it will be a great chance to get to Wembley," Finley said.
"Rovers sold it out in the Conference play-off final and if we were in the play-offs last year, I’m sure they would have sold it out and I’d like to think they’d turn out in numbers, even if it was in the Papa John’s Trophy.
"It’s a great occasion to play at Wembley and it would be a lovely game to play in."
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