Bristol Rovers travel to Barnsley this afternoon looking to close the gap to the play-offs
A whole week off between games will seem like a luxury for Bristol Rovers after they played four games in ten days leading up to last weekend’s FA Cup third round draw at Championship team Norwich City. This is following a hectic festive period. That performance at Carrow Road, where the Gas may have done enough to defeat a club from a higher tier, was full of positive vibes.
Naturally, the motivation to triumph in the replay on Wednesday night at the Mem has grown since the fourth round draw secured a trip to Anfield to face the formidable Liverpool team for the victor of the next week’s rematch. However, there’s a crucial league match at Barnsley this afternoon that must be played before that.
Rovers have slightly under half of the league season left, but even with 22 games, they still have a good amount of ground to overcome to fulfil their goal of finishing in a play-off spot. The distance between the Gas and their next opponents, who are presently in sixth position in the League One standings, is nine points at this stage. It’s still too early to label any league game must-win but it does feel as though a defeat at Oakwell would make the task considerably more onerous.
Despite Barnsley’s current eight-game league unbeaten streak, there should be plenty of optimism for Matt Taylor’s team going into the match after victories against automatic promotion contenders Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth last month. It will undoubtedly be a difficult one, but if Rovers are to succeed in the end, they must learn from these games.
Regretfully, injuries appear to have clouded the Gas’ entire season thus far. Grant Ward is the most recent important player to be sidelined for a duration that first-team coach Kevin Bond believes will be measured in weeks rather than days. Taylor’s wife was in the hospital giving birth to their second child, so he was unable to talk to the media prior to the game. However, the 41-year-old is anticipated in the dugout this afternoon.
Here’s a guess as to how Bristol Rovers might lineup today afternoon taking everything into account.
After Matt Cox completed a permanent transfer out of the club to rejoin his former team, Harrogate Town, hopefully, the clamour from some parts of the fan base for James Belshaw to be summoned back from loan to take his place would be permanently silenced. That does, however, leave Bristol Rovers’ three 20-year-old goalkeepers inexperienced in goal. Nevertheless, Cox’s record of playing every league minute this season remains intact, thus not much has changed in terms of who is now starting in goal.
The Brentford loanee, who had a noticeable decline in confidence, has been playing better of late, but he was shockingly insignificant in the stalemate against Norwich last weekend.
The most contentious issue in defence right now is whether Matt Taylor should start James Connolly ahead of him. After being judged fit after a week of training, the returned defender will undoubtedly be in the squad in some form, and Taylor will eventually want to see the 22-year-old play. Connolly is also cup-tied for Wednesday’s replay, which may require the Gas manager to switch things up in order to keep things interesting before what many consider to be the team’s biggest game of the season—if not since getting promoted back to League One—this coming Wednesday.
But the 41-year-old hasn’t shown much sign of chopping and changing, especially not just for the purpose of it and following Josh Grant’s outstanding
After their outstanding performances over the past month, it seems obvious to place Connor Taylor in the middle and Tristan Crama on the left next to Grant. Crama in particular merits recognition for his performance the previous game. The 22-year-old made a mistake that led to Norwich’s goal, but instead of pouting or letting it get to him, he went on to have a really impressive game against a team from a higher division.
Taylor, who is 22 years old and a former Stoke City player, has demonstrated a lot of leadership qualities. Despite his youth, he will need to be a leader at the back when James Wilson is out with an injury.
The middle of the pitch feels particularly empty these days, and Bristol Rovers could use an addition this month should a suitable option emerge. In the span of just one week, the team has lost three central midfield players. Grant Ward is predicted to miss this game at the very least, but it’s possible he may miss the next few as well. Lamare Bogarde and Ryan Woods have both been called up by Aston Villa and Hull City, respectively. Since Woods left this week, it has become even more difficult to find a worthy substitute for the 29-year-old, who has established himself as a true leader for this team.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest players since the new manager’s arrival is Sam Finley, who appears to be really enjoying playing under Matt Taylor. Is there someone who will start beside him?
While Antony Evans is undoubtedly a strong candidate, Rovers truly want one of their top players to be farther up the pitch, where he can perform at his peak. A bettor would wager on the 25-year-old midfielder being a star player for the Gas if they win at Oakwell since his danger in the final third has been noticeably reduced when playing deeper than usual. Luke McCormick is arguably the only other sane option elsewhere. Evans and McCormick
It is now official that McCormick is back. He made his first appearance in three months last weekend when he came off the bench against Norwich. This could be a good chance for him to show his new manager what he can do because, prior to his injury, the midfielder was possibly playing his best ball while wearing a Gas shirt.
Luke Thomas and Harvey Vale will, of course, flank the two central midfield players. The former, who rejoins the team he called home as recently as last summer, will have a remarkable afternoon, and the latter, who has recently picked up a few assists and is undoubtedly vying for a second league goal for the team,
Attack
Starting with the attacking midfield pair, there are a few different possibilities in truth. If Antony Evans is to be dropped into a deeper role then of course, Luke McCormick could come in there as well or it could be another opportunity for Jevani Brown who started against Norwich. The attacking midfielder was lively and unlucky not to score last weekend in the place of Aaron Collins but whether it was enough to warrant another start is ultimately the decision of his former boss at Exeter City.
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