This afternoon is as big a game for Bristol Rovers as they will get in League One this season as the Gas prepare to face promotion favourites Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
Over 1,800 Gasheads are expected in B9, Rovers’ biggest away following of the season so far and, although supporters won’t be confident of getting a result, they’ll certainly be expecting a response after two desperately poor performances in the league.
The Gas’ defeats to Blackpool and Leyton Orient were particularly low moments as Rovers failed to register a shot on target in either match but have had to wait an extra week to respond after last weekend’s home game against Bolton Wanderers was postponed.
For some of Matt Taylor’s players, this will be one of the biggest matches of their careers so far, playing in front of a huge crowd for the level and coming up against a handful of players who, let’s be honest, should be playing in the Championship.
It’s an enormous test for this group but one they’ll no doubt relish. However, another extremely flat display in the final third will increase pressure, regardless of the fact that Rovers are playing against the best squad in the division.
With all that considered, here’s how we think the Gas might line up this afternoon…
Goalkeeper and defence
In goal, it’s obvious. Josh Griffiths, being a Baggie, will no doubt relish the opportunity to halt Birmingham City’s promotion push by helping secure a result for his loan side at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park. One thing’s for sure though, if Bristol Rovers are to have any chance of getting something, then their goalkeeper will have to have another outstanding day at the office.
Ahead of him it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Matt Taylor resort back to a back-three in order to have an extra central defender but it seems unlikely.
No doubt Connor Taylor, James Wilson and Clinton Mola will start, even after well below standard displays at Leyton Orient almost two weeks ago. However, the main area for debate is at right-back.
With Joel Senior fit, Rovers now have a natural option available on the right side of defence, a luxury they haven’t had for the vast majority of the campaign with the 25-year-old and Jack Hunt’s injury issues.
Taylor Moore has mainly been deployed there recently and, despite often being excellent defensively, the central defender hasn’t looked particularly convincing or comfortable when tasked to get forward down the flank and assist in the attacking effort.
Admittedly, the 27-year-old has been below his high personal standards in a couple of matches since October and perhaps now it’s time to see how Senior does. It certainly feels as though that could happen this weekend.
Asked ahead of the game how close the right-back is to a league start, Taylor said: “Yeah, close. I think I said last week about missing Joel’s big return and Michael [Forbes]’s first big game, not being there for those two in relation to that.
“I think Joel would have been frustrated with his pre-season and leading to the start of the season. Then he picks up what turned out to be a really nasty injury. Whenever a tendon’s involved in a muscle injury, it’s a worrying time, let alone when he’s a sprinter. I’ve said before, he’s our quickest player.
“So, he’s worked so hard to get himself back into an available capacity. He missed one reserve game with a little bit of a setback and then he might have featured sooner than that. But certainly getting game time at Barnsley and then coming on for a small period of time in the Leyton Orient game means he’s available for selection from the start.”
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Midfield
Thankfully Rovers will have Kamil Conteh back available for selection after having to serve a suspension against Leyton Orient for picking up his fifth yellow card of the season. It’s tough to argue that the midfielder’s presence alone would have made it a different sort of evening for the Gas but he remains their most underrated player this campaign.
Alongside the 21-year-old will most likely be Jamie Lindsay. The midfielder admitted that his recent performances haven’t been to his standards ahead of the eventually postponed Bolton game last week and Rovers will need his experience and expertise to manage what will be an extremely tricky game.
Ahead of the deeper duo, you would expect Isaac Hutchinson to come back in on the left having been given a full rest for the Orient game while Luke McCormick is also likely to return to the starting line up having come on as a substitute at Brisbane Road.
Neither Scott Sinclair nor Ruel Sotiriou, who both came in for the pair, made the desired impact last time out while on the right hand side, Shaq Forde was one of very few players who came out of that game with any degree of credit.
Heads continue to be scratched as to how Luke Thomas isn’t getting more of a look in as has been the case in recent months but hopefully the winger will get some meaningful game time off of the bench, assuming he isn’t starting once again.
Striker
Leading the line, the Gas need as much experience in their ranks as possible for a game like this and therefore Chris Martin is the obvious pick. Gatlin O’Donkor had a decent game against Barnsley while Martin hasn’t offered the levels of contribution hoped for since his return from injury.
However, as we keep saying, the 36-year-old is still one of the best finishers in the league and if the players around him can give him the ball in dangerous positions, it will likely end up in a goal.
Meanwhile, Promise Omochere could feature this afternoon but in an impact capacity. Although his goals tally has come under scrutiny, the Irishman has been missed in his absence.
Bristol Rovers XI (4-2-3-1): Josh Griffiths; Joel Senior, Connor Taylor, James Wilson, Clinton Mola; Kamil Conteh, Jamie Lindsay; Shaq Forde, Luke McCormick, Isaac Hutchinson; Chris Martin