The last time Luke McCormick wore a Bristol Rovers shirt at Portman Road, he scored a quite brilliant goal, but his inch-perfect lob was in vain as the Gas suffered yet another defeat on their road to relegation 15 months ago.
Back for a second spell, it is time for the midfielder to be unleashed as a Rovers player again. There have been a couple of cameos off the bench since he rejoined the club last month, but he is yet to start after his comeback from AFC Wimbledon.
Ipswich on Tuesday evening feels like the ideal time and the ideal stage. The 23-year-old has had a few weeks to get up to fitness after his exile at Plough Lane for expressing his desire left him behind schedule, and the runouts against Plymouth Argyle and Morecambe in the past fortnight have doubtless helped him regain some kind of rhythm.
Rhythm is something Rovers have been lacking this season. There have been sprinklings of individual quality on top of a heap of hard graft, but the kind of cohesion and fluidity that Barton's side mustered in the second half of last season is yet to be seen this term.
In many ways, this is a new team, with a core remaining but new occupants in some key positions, and Barton has long earmarked McCormick as a key player in his new iteration of Rovers. The former Chelsea prospect was identified as a priority signing early in the summer and the Gas were thrilled to get it over the line.
The Gas are going to be met with a hostile atmosphere at Portman Road, where attendances have averaged close to 25,000 so far this season, and Barton has numerous players in his squad who can cope with the intensity of such an occasion – McCormick is one of them.
He has the confidence of two strong seasons in League One on a personal level, producing an impressive 22 goal involvements in his 80 third-tier appearances for Rovers and Wimbledon, and his presence in the XI is sure to lift the team as a whole.
His inclusion would not be up for any debate if he were not short of match fitness. It makes sense in every regard from a tactical perspective. Rovers like to control the ball, but they are going to have their work cut out to do that on the road against a team that is the clear leader at the top of the League One possession rankings (an average of 65 per cent in home games).
In the face of that challenge, Rovers have to be flexible, and it can play to their strengths. They are a strong pressing side with Aaron Collins and John Marquis excellent at putting pressure on opposition defenders when they have the ball – just look at last month's trip to Portsmouth for evidence – and McCormick would only add to the efficacy of Rovers' press.
McCormick showed in his first stint with the Gas that he has an excellent engine, which could be an invaluable asset if the hosts look to stretch the pitch in possession. That would ask questions of Rovers defensively, but it would also present attacking opportunities if the Gas can lure Ipswich into traps.
With split centre-backs and plenty of space to work in, the key for Rovers will be snaring possession high up the pitch and then quickly profiting against an exposed defence. For that, Barton will need players who can not only win the ball on the front foot but do something with it.
Collins, Marquis, Antony Evans and Sam Finley fit the bill, and if the manager can fit McCormick in his team as well then Rovers will be equipped, in an attacking sense at least, to contend with the challenges they are likely to encounter.
Because, like the aforementioned names, he has the tenacity and physicality to defend with intensity on the front foot, and he also has the ability to score or create when presented with the opportunity.
So Ipswich – a club with great prestige and massive spending power for the level (they spent seven figures this summer on a full-back, remember) – are a daunting opponent, but Rovers have threats of their own.
And, after a pair of draws in succession against deep-set defences where the onus has been on the Gas to dominate the ball and break teams down, a game with more space and opportunities to press could suit Rovers, given where they are as a team seven games into the new season.
