Frustration was the theme for Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers as they missed the chance to take stretch their home winning streak to four, but they will wake up justifiably grumpy on Sunday morning.
Aaron Collins looked personally offended by referee John Busby's interpretation of his clash with John-Joe O'Toole in the penalty area just after the hour mark in a 0-0 stalemate at the Mem. The universal consensus on the press bench was a spot-kick should have been awarded, but the striker was instead deemed guilty of trying to con the officials and was booked for simulation.
That decision defined an afternoon of disjointed football from both teams in difficult conditions, with the draw leaving Rovers in 14th place, 10 points adrift of the League Two play-off places.
Amid the frustration, there were positives for the Gas to take. Edging the balance of play against the form side in the division is a cause for confidence and the return of Connor Taylor to the defence hugely affected Rovers' ability to control the contest.
But the big picture is clear: time is running out for Rovers and draws – no matter how encouraging – are not going to be enough in the run-in if they are to hit the top seven.
The big lad is very, very good
So often it is the case that players grow in stature when they are absent, and that was certainly the case for Taylor. The big Stokie's standing as Rovers' most important defender was already secure, but the two games this week were a crystal clear representation of his importance and influence in the starting XI.
At Oldham, Rovers' defence was chaotic but against Mansfield, they enjoyed control and Taylor's return to the team – after a concerning episode in the warm-up that ruled him out at Boundary Park – was the reason why.
The 20-year-old brings calm to his teammates and the Gasheads in the stadium alike, such is his commanding aerial presence and mature handling of danger in one-on-one situations.
Where Oldham were able to gain platforms in Rovers' half in midweek with long balls not being dealt with, Taylor won the battle for first contacts on Saturday and defensive allies Luca Hoole, James Connolly and Nick Anderton appeared far more comfortable as a result.
He makes use of every millimetre of his long legs when chasing back to goal too, but his decision making in such situations is what is most impressive. It was very possible that a penalty could be conceded when he pursued Rhys Oates as the Mansfield man bore down on goal, but Taylor timed his intervention to perfection, inventively sneaking his left leg across his counterpart's path to prod the ball away from his stride.
The final months of Taylor's time at Rovers are upon us and we must appreciate his presence at the heart of defence while it lasts. Regardless of whatever division the Gas may be playing in next season, Taylor belongs in Stoke City's first team after an outstanding apprenticeship in BS7.
A huge improvement
Taylor returned to a defence that is improving, on home turf at least. A draw was not the desired result for the Gas, but Barton will be heartened by a third straight clean sheet at the Mem.
Rovers have managed shutouts of Hartlepool United, Walsall and now Mansfield in 2022, building a much more sustainable platform for success.
They rode their luck at times against Hartlepool, with James Belshaw called on several times to preserve the clean sheet, but Walsall and Mansfield have barely posed a danger to the Gas goal in the past two home fixtures.
The Gas have conceded just 2.3 expected goals in those games according to xG_Data, and just 0.98 combined against Walsall and Mansfield.
Belshaw, this time, was largely a spectator, evidence of the control that Barton has craved
Defending has been Rovers' Achilles heel this season, conceding 36 goals in 28 games, but if can continue their new trend and mirror those defensive performances away from home, they should accrue plenty of points by the end of the season. Easier said than done, of course, but a positive sign for the Gas.
That's League Two
When the questioning in Barton's press conference turned to the penalty no-call, a resignation struck Barton. The manager said his piece but is clearly wearied by the levels of officiating in League Two.
Mr Busby's decision to deny Collins a spot kick and punish the Gas striker for perceived simulation was perplexing, but that's League Two.
Only a few days previously were the Gas on the fortunate side of a howler of a decision at Oldham when Callum Whelan's shot clearly crossed the line but the goal was not given.
On Saturday, Collins had the beating of Oli Hawkins and John-Joe O'Toole when the latter hung his leg out and made significant contact with the forward, who had no say in whether he was hitting the deck – he was put there.
A reality of playing at this level is head-scratching officiating, making it all the more important to take matters out of the referee's hands. But, justifiably, Rovers will feel hard done by waking up on Sunday morning.
An uphill task
There were positives on Saturday, but there is no getting away from the fact this has been a costly week for the Gas.
In the context of Oldham's resurgence and Mansfield's fine form, neither result is unforgivable in isolation, but Rovers backed themselves into a corner with a poor start to the season. Barton's side have come on leaps and bounds since then, but the margin for error is very slim.
A point against Mansfield in this form certainly is not a bad result, but Tuesday's woeful performance at Boundary Park raised the stakes and this week has steepened the uphill task facing Barton and his players.
With 18 games to go, there are 54 points to play for and Rovers need at least something in the range of 30-35 points to make the top seven. That is not an impossible challenge but the difficulty level is significant.
"There are lots of games still to play," Barton replied when asked if time was running out for Rovers' play-off hopes. "There was 57 points to play for before today, so now 54. We feel like if that’s (Mansfield) the form team in the Football League, we feel like we can beat anybody on our day if we get it right.
"We’re yet to see a consistent team selection of our strongest 11. We’ve seen a small glimpse of that in the Swindon game and we need to be putting that on the pitch more often.
"I’m a massive believer in doing things right and the score eventually takes care of itself. I’m just seeing things now, you’re seeing the energy in the stands.
"We might run out of games this season, but the Gas are coming, it’s happening."
Barton doubtless still believes his players can do the job, but a difficult week has cost Rovers their momentum. Only a win against Sutton United on Tuesday can recapture it.
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