You would have thought that Bristol Rovers had lost based on some of the comments written in the aftermath of their 1-0 victory over Shrewsbury Town. It was by no means pretty and a late disallowed goal for Salop, as well as squandering other good chances, meant that the Gas did get away with one to a certain extent. However, sometimes you need a bit of luck and Rovers certainly got that.
It wasn’t a classic performance but there were parts to like with Matt Taylor’s side starting with real endeavour and should have taken an early lead as Shaq Forde was denied by the Shrewsbury goalkeeper. Other opportunities fell to the likes of Promise Omochere, Scott Sinclair and Forde again while the visitors also had golden openings fall to former Rovers striker John Marquis and ex-Cheltenham Town forward George Lloyd.
However, with there still being evident discontent towards the manager from what a significant portion of the fanbase, many plucked out the negatives before the positives, reflecting the current mood amongst supporters.
It definitely feels as though it’s a case of looking at the glass half full or half empty at the moment (more on that later) but, at the end of the day, a win is a win and every team is going to have scrappy, unconvincing victories against sides they’re expected to beat. The problem for Rovers and Taylor is that there’s pressure and demands for improvement on current proceedings, be that realistic or unrealistic.
Plenty to dissect from this one. Here are some of the stand out talking points…
Shaq Forde a player who can get bums out of seats
Although Jamie Lindsay got man of the match for scoring the decisive goal while having a decent all-round performance in midfield, Shaq Forde was certainly in the conversation for the accolade.
The 20-year-old was arguably unlucky not to start against Huddersfield Town having come off the bench to score and make a notable impact in the comeback win at Burton Albion but was given his first start against Shrewsbury, providing an exciting, attacking display.
Within the first couple of minutes, Forde should have scored when denied by Toby Savin but he continued to be a livewire throughout, deployed on the right hand side of a three-man attacking midfield with Promise Omochere leading the line ahead.
Everything Rovers did in way of an attacking move, it seemed as though the deadline day signing was at the heart of it. He did get a goal contribution, providing the decisive pass for Lindsay to pummel into the top corner, and was later denied again by another save at the near-post.
Although the Gas have some promising attacking talent, very rarely has a player performed in a way that has gotten bums out of seats. Not to say that Forde did that exactly but there were certainly glimpses that he could be an extremely exciting player in this Gas team.
Speaking about his forward, Matt Taylor told Bristol Live post-match: “I’d back him to score that chance in the first couple of minutes of the game and that would have been a real moment to get the bums off the seats. But I can say he’s one of the few players who receives a ball at a certain level of performance. He meets the ball and gets it under control and kills it dead straight away. You’ll have seen that tonight. You saw it to a certain extent on Saturday against good players at Huddersfield.
“We’re excited about Shaq. We’ve got to build and build and build. We’ve got to build him physically as much as mentally and keep getting him to value other aspects of the game. But he surprised me how long he could go tonight. I just hope I’ve not damaged him in any way going towards the weekend because the big challenge now is can he back it up and for the team and for me?
“We speak about it, players having their moments. I still think Ruel’s got his to come and Shaq probably had his tonight in terms of his performance. Jamie’s had a couple of moments in terms of the goals, but that’s not why we brought him to the club with midfield solidity. I was pleased with a lot of aspects of the game tonight.”
Return to a back-four possibly the way to go from now on
Although it quickly became evident that using a back-three would be the go-to set up for Rovers this season, at least to start with, based on pre-season friendlies, it now seems as though that might have to be scrumpled up and thrown to the side.
A significant part of the argument coming from those still seeking a change in the dugout has related to the style of football while it also feels as though the Gas’ squad is actually better equipped for an alternative system based around a four-man defence.
Although it changed over the course of the game, it looked as though Rovers were in a 4-2-3-1 set up with every player playing in what you could call a natural position bar Taylor Moore who was at right-back instead of centre-back. The 27-year-old largely did well but he didn’t look as comfortable as he has done in other matches when playing in his natural position.
Meanwhile, from an attacking perspective the performance was everything Saturday’s display at Huddersfield wasn’t. Exciting, energetic with players driving forward with purpose. On the face of it, the game really shouldn’t have had just the one goal with Shrewsbury also having some fantastic chances.
There were evident teething problems based on how the visitors got in behind and looked particularly dangerous going forward but it allowed players like Kamil Conteh and Connor Taylor to have one of their best games of the season. In terms of the players Taylor has at his disposal, it makes more sense to stick with this new shape.
Asked if using a back-four and the same set up could be what he sticks with going forward, the Rovers manager told Bristol Live: “Potentially, yeah. As long as personnel allow. As long as the energy levels are right. It’s going to be all about sort of where we get the runners on the pitch.
“I think you’ll probably see that Shaq and Ruel played together previously as well. A bit of a, not partnership because they’re not next to each other directly, but they’re close to each other and there was a connection there. Looking forward to seeing how that grows and unfolds. I liked the balance of the team tonight. But then Saturday we were up against a totally different outfit.”
Not the Mem return trio of ex-Gas players would have wanted
Towards the end of the match, three players who wore the Bristol Rovers shirt as recently as last season were on the pitch at the same time as opposition players with John Marquis and Jordan Rossiter starting before Luca Hoole came on.
The academy graduate got a good reception from supporters all around the ground when he made his way towards the bench pre-match and applauded back. Meanwhile, Marquis and Rossiter were certainly notable presences in the game for Shrewsbury.
The latter was his usual, tough-tackling self while the former was demonstrating some of his dark arts that he used to deploy in blue-and-white quarters.
Even the most optimistic supporters probably felt that going into the game the football script writers had already set up Marquis getting a goal on his return to BS7 and it certainly looked as though that was going to happen when he was played through on goal and rounded Josh Griffiths but the the Gas goalkeeper did enough to smother the space before a second bite at the cherry from the striker was blocked.
Evidently, going to watch Shrewsbury in the flesh for their previous two games worked for Taylor who headed out on a scouting job to watch Salop’s matches against Crawley Town and Exeter City.
However, on the three former Rovers players, the Gas manager said to Bristol Live: “I can’t speak high enough for Jordan Rossiter, as a person. I love what he stands for. I love the fact that he’s playing, just seeing him play, even against us. I went to watch Shrewsbury live in the last two games and I think Luca was away on international duty, so he’s coming back into the fold, and John’s John. Top end of the pitch. Constant menace.
“I quite like their partnership. John’s experience and Lloyd’s endeavor and jump and spring, it was a handful. They’re not a bad team. They said I’ve watched them live the last couple of games, and they probably should have got something out there. Exit again. Um, so, yeah, I think they’ll surprise a few this season and any ex-player from Bristol Rovers, you want them to do well.”
Current state at Bristol Rovers seen either with glass half full or half empty
As he had every right to amid pressure, Matt Taylor pointed out that his side have won three out of the last four and four out of six home games this season. All decent runs of form, especially for a side expected to finish in-and-around midtable. A notable amount of supporters pointed out this recent form while others, and still it feels like a majority, highlighted that the calibre of sides beaten in said runs of form haven’t been exemplarary. Both sides make good arguments but it does feel as though you’re either looking at the current state of the club with a glass half full or half empty with the fanbase seriously split.
Regarding home wins, it’s certainly a fair assessment to state that they have come against teams you would expect the Gas to beat. Out of Northampton, Cambridge, Charlton and now Shrewsbury, only the Addicks are above Rovers in the table and arguably of a higher calibre in terms of what’s expected of them this season. Meanwhile, albeit early days, Shrewsbury and Cambridge are in the relegation zone while Northampton are 19th and two points clear.
Losing 4-0 to Wigan was an absolute calamity while, although the manner of defeat was heartbreaking and the second half display was unexcusable, current form suggests that a lot of teams are going to be beaten by Wycombe Wanderers this season.
Add to that a win against Burton Albion on the road, another side in the drop zone, and admittedly Rovers are yet to produce a victory that catches the eyes of others in the league.
However, you can only beat what’s in front of you and said results have suggested that the Gas will be good enough to once again finish at least in and around the lower ends of midtable which plenty of supporters expected going into the campaign considering the strength of the division this year.
Performance-wise, it still feels as though Rovers are yet to blow a side away. Charlton was the closest they’ve come when taking a deserved 3-0 lead but they couldn’t maintain their dominance, conceding two late goals to make the scoreline less comfortable. Against Cambridge they were evidently the better side and scored their goals at the perfect times, finding the cushion of a two-goal lead early in the second half before the U’s squandered a couple of good chances late on.
We’re now a quarter of the way into the season which I personally believe means you can now look at the table and get a decent idea of where teams are currently at. However, given how congested it is, we may possibly have to wait until January for it to clear up a bit with Rovers only three points off the play-off posititions despite being sat in 15th as well as being six points clear of the relegation zone.
At this point though, it also means that any argument suggesting that this new side is still gelling is rapidly losing any substance. It does feel as though lessons are still being learned about this group by the players as well as the manager but, based on the recent rumblings of discontent, it seems patience is in anything but a surplus.
Performances now have to step up otherwise the manager is, rightly or wrongly, going to lose his job because pressure will compound to a point of no return. We may even be at the point already. In terms of their next couple of fixtures in the league, a trip to Reading and a home game against Lincoln City will demonstrate just how much Rovers might be on the up.
You never quite know what to expect with Reading but they’re significantly of a higher calibre than Burton, against whom the Gas have secured their sole away victory. Meanwhile, Lincoln will be expected to be pushing for the play-offs again but by winning four out of six home games, Rovers have flirted with the idea that they could be solid on their own patch which will be crucial for success this term. Albeit against a better team, there will be expectation for the Gas to perform and get a result in that one.
The fanbase is certainly split at the moment but it feels as though the scale will certainly tip one way or another in the coming weeks.