It’s not been a straightforward start to life in a Bristol Rovers shirt for Isaac Hutchinson following his summer arrival from Walsall but the attacking midfielder’s trajectory in BS7 currently looks to be headed upwards.
The 24-year-old was the first of an eventual 16 additions announced by the club over last summer after Rovers triggered a release clause in his contract with the Saddlers, for whom he boasted double digits for both goals and assists in League Two last term.
Stepping up a division, Hutchinson hasn’t managed to be nearly as prolific in new surroundings and has struggled to cling onto a regular starting place at different stages in the campaign. There was even a period in September under former manager Matt Taylor where the creative either wasn’t getting off the bench or, at Peterborough United, not even making the squad.
However, the summer arrival has certainly been making progress in recent months, even if consistency in his game hasn’t quite been there, and finally got the moment he’s been knocking on the door of for a couple of weeks when scoring his first league goal at the Mem in the Gas’ 3-1 win over Barnsley.
A consolation effort at Huddersfield Town in October and two strikes in the EFL Trophy preceded Hutchinson’s goal on Saturday, stroking home in the area after good work from defender James Wilson of all people.
Admittedly though, the attacking midfielder should have had at least one extra goal to add to his tally after a seemingly perfectly legal effort against Cambridge United earlier this month was ruled out for Scott Sinclair supposedly being in the goalkeeper’s eyeline in an offside position.
Hutchinson also had a goal ruled out in the Boxing Day defeat at Exeter City, although it took considerably longer for a decision to be made with the attacking midfielder allowed to release emotion in front of a barmy away end before ultimately being told it doesn’t count for an offside in the build up.
“I mean, I didn’t want to celebrate to be honest,” Hutchinson confessed after his goal against Barnsley. “I wanted to wait 10, 15 seconds, see if the linesman was going to put his flag up.
“But I feel like it’s been coming. I feel like I’ve had a couple of pretty much perfectly good goals to my name for the last couple of games before that. It was just nice to get it and it counted.
“It has been really frustrating, especially when you’re allowed to celebrate and get that feeling and then it’s ruled out. Sometimes they’re ruled out straightaway and it is what it is but I’ve just had to take confidence from being in the right place and getting in the positions. In my head they counted [and I] take confidence from that and keep building on it.
“I think again today I’m probably in a good position to get a goal and if you don’t carry on running and, same with Willo, if you don’t make the run you don’t score.
“It’s something I’ve been waiting a long time for now. Too long in my opinion. But yeah, it’s something that’s a little monkey off the back where I’ve done that now and it’s really nice to have that feeling and, like I said, I just want to do that more.”
By no means was their performance against Barnsley perfect, with the visitors squandering a number of good scoring opportunities, but Rovers attacked with a purpose and intent that hasn’t been on show enough this campaign as new head coach Inigo Calderon looks to scatter positive influence over the squad.
Bar the 3-2 win over Charlton Athletic in October, in which the Gas still nearly threw away two points from an extremely comfortable position, there hasn’t been a game that has entertained supporters like Saturday did.
It was also a potential sliding doors moment in the season in regards to the goalscorers. Like Hutchinson, it’s certainly not been straightforward in BS7 for Gatlin O’Donkor and Ruel Sotiriou, whose goals sandwiched the 24-year-old’s early in the second half.
Both were also brought in over last summer with Sotiriou in particular finding it difficult to make an impact in blue-and-white quarters, being another player Rovers invested heavily in.
Under new, and seemingly improved, management though alongside a significant chunk of the league schedule still remaining, the hope will be that after a number of protracted starts to individual Rovers careers, the Barnsley win will ignite the streaks of form we’ve been waiting for.
“I think it’s something that the whole squad has sort of been craving,” Hutchinson admitted in regards to the improved Mem atmosphere. “To get that with the fans and have that connection because it’s probably been, especially at the Mem, a bit few and far between where it’s been a bit disappointing with the results and probably hard to feel that connection.
“But yeah, obviously two wins in a row now and I feel like everyone’s probably starting to believe a bit more in ourselves and what the team can do.
“I think we’ve needed a win like that. Scoring more than one goal and against a team that’s doing really well at the moment as well. So it’s really good for confidence.”
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Almost immediate improvement under Calderon has been clear to see with Rovers recording back-to-back wins in the league for just the second time this season while also performing well in the unfortunate 3-2 defeat to Leyton Orient on New Year’s Day.
The mood around the club has certainly flipped on the back of Saturday’s victory with the Gas’ position in the table slightly more promising after the win opened up a seven point gap on the bottom four. Although supporters will still be extremely cautious, there will naturally be more upward glances at the table than there were a couple of weeks ago.
As always though when there’s a change in management, the key for Rovers will be to ensure that their progress is permanent as opposed to the drearily overused ‘new manager bounce’ cliche.
Initial reviews so far have been positive though with Hutchinson the latest Rovers player to disclose the improvements Calderon has made, saying: “I feel like there’s definitely been loads of signs of improvement.
“Probably since when he’s been appointed to now we’ve done a lot of training and he’s been really clear on what he wants from us and he’s hammered it home everyday with the sessions that we do and I don’t think that’s going to stop.
“So yeah, I think it’s something that’s going to be a work in progress and over time we’re going to keep improving with it.
“I think on the training pitch he’s been really hands-on with the sessions we do and just really clear with how he wants us to play and the way he wants us to do it. He’s constantly driving it so it’s been really good in that sense.
“I do think it’s just going to be a work in progress. I feel like even in the Stevenage game there was probably things that were better than previously and I think we’ve just carried on building on that and yeah, we’re definitely growing in confidence.
“He’s allowing us with that because I think the worst thing in the world is when you’re worried about making a mistake or playing on the back foot and he’s kind of knocked that on the head. He’s done the opposite really.”
Trips to Wigan Athletic and Charlton Athletic within the space of four days next in the schedule certainly won’t be straightforward while struggling Peterborough United are the next visitors to the Mem on February 2.
Following an extended break due to Wycombe Wanderers’ FA Cup progression, Rovers will then face a crucial period with home games against Stockport County, Burton Albion and Rotherham United coincided with trips to Northampton Town and Shrewsbury Town.
At this moment in time though, there’s no reason why supporters can’t start to look up the table as opposed to down with progress undoubtedly being made.