Joey Barton has Bristol Rovers believing. The League Two play-offs were a realistic aspiration but Saturday’s 1-0 win at Northampton now has the idea of automatics firmly in the consciousness of a Rovers fanbase.
And why not? No team across the Premier League and EFL has won more games than Rovers in 2022 (11), they lead the League Two form table for five, 10 and 15 games and have eight clean sheets from their last 11 games.
Across numerous metrics, they’re resembling the side to beat in the division right now. While, crucially, the gap between themselves and Northampton in third, the latest automatic promotion place, is a matter of one goal.