Going into the season, Huddersfield Town away was very much seen as one of the fixtures that certainly wouldn’t define Bristol Rovers’ season. After Birmingham City, the Terriers arguably have the best squad in the division and will no doubt be in contention for automatic promotion.
With that considered, Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at the John Smith’s Stadium doesn’t, and shouldn’t, sound alarm bells for Rovers. Realistically the two sides are going to be nowhere near each other in the league table come May.
However, toxicity amongst supporters was reignited after the loss, not necessarily because of the result but the manner in which the Gas were beaten.
The hosts were always going to have the majority of the ball being the better side while playing at home but boasting the best part of three-quarters of the possession at half-time wasn’t good enough from a Rovers perspective.
Whenever they won the ball back, albeit briefly, they struggled to put together more than three or four passes together with the first half heat map showing a couple of splodges of yellow scattered sporadically across the Huddersfield half while the visitors’ was a large spread of red and orange.
The Terriers’ opening goal was coming for the majority of the first half but to yet again concede from a corner creates hair pulling levels of frustration before West Ham loanee Callum Marshall produced an excellent finish for the second.
Despite the dominance and two-goal advantage Huddersfield boasted at the break, recent Gas games have shown that that isn’t necessarily as comfortable a cushion as some may think with 45 minutes remaining which is why conceding the third so early into the second half was such a colossal blow.
In fairness, the second half display was improved from Matt Taylor’s side with substitutes once again making an impact as Isaac Hutchinson converted Shaq Forde’s cutback, with Promise Omochere getting a slight touch to be credited with the assist, for a consolation goal. However, there’s no hiding from the fact that pressure on the manager is still significant and Saturday’s performance certainly didn’t help his cause.
With all that considered, here are some of the stand out talking points on the back of Rovers’ defeat at Huddersfield…
Manner of defeat stings as opposed to the result
For those of you who aren’t exactly number crunchers, feel free to skip to the next point because I’m about to throw some statistics into the works.
Even the full-time stats demonstrate that Huddersfield were the dominant side with 58 per cent of the possession while having 16 shots with 10 on target compared to Rovers’ three with one on target. However, the first half numbers are particularly damning.
Michael Duff’s side kept 70 per cent of the ball while having 10 shots compared to zero from the Gas with a wide effort from Scott Sinclair not counted for whatever reason. The Terriers also completed double the number of passes as the Gas with 253 compared to 115 and won seven corners compared to zero.
An early moment when Clinton Mola clipped a ball upfield to Promise Omochere who beat his man to the ball before playing in Sinclair, albeit at a tight angle, suggested that Rovers were going to have some form of focal point up front but the subsequent long balls they attempted didn’t work in the same manner. They attempted 32 in the first half with 11 successful compared to 26 and 10 from the hosts at a slightly more efficient accuracy.
After scoring three goals in successive league matches, it seemed as though the Gas had turned a corner in the final third with two dangerous attacking displays against Charlton and Burton. However, they struggled to find any sort of connectivity with each other, particularly in the first half, seemingly resorting back to earlier displays against the likes of Rotherham and Stockport.
There is of course the point that this is a new team but 11 games into the League One campaign, that argument is losing substance on a weekly basis. There is no set number of matches where Taylor’s men should automatically be completely gelled because it is a process that requires patience. However, patience largely seems to be wearing thin now as we get closer to November.
No ‘natural instinct’ for players to bark orders at each other
In tough moments and situations this team have faced this season so far, the question regarding leaders and experienced players who can step up has consistently been asked. There are experienced profiles in this side which was particularly the case on Saturday and recent matches saw said individuals step up.
However, according to Taylor, the group doesn’t have characters who will bark orders at each other or call players out.
When asked post-match where fight comes from and whether he looks for players to shout at one another, the manager said: “We ain’t got those characters. There’s not a natural instinct to go that way so I’ve got to give them an out. I just wanted them to have a moment in that first half for longer than we did. At no moment really, certainly up until the goal, did I feel that the team was just okay, even for 30 seconds, even on a dead ball situation.
“You’re looking at it and it’s a match up game. Us against them. We were second best too often and even when we won the ball back then our use of it was too poor to just take a breather in the game and just reset and settle and get our ourselves up the pitch for long enough to be close to the opposition goal as opposed to to our goal.
“Having said that before the goal went in, Josh is generally relatively comfortable, but the feeling of this group is a really difficult one to get a handle of, especially in games.”
Impact from the bench once again…but how often can Rovers keep relying on it?
Excuse the hypothetical question but there is of course a positive to take from the game in the fact that the bench impact was strong once again. The task now is to start matches with said quality as opposed to relying on it when the game is already seemingly lost.
Shaq Forde was certainly unlucky not to start after his contribution at Burton a fortnight ago but the inclusion of another midfielder in Grant Ward made sense. However, after his goal against the Brewers and playing a major part in Rovers’ consolation scored by fellow substitute Isaac Hutchinson, the 20-year-old is now certainly in line to start against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the switch to a back-four seemed to work too as the Gas saw more control of the ball while also being able to get more men forward. That could have easily led to a second goal with Lino Sousa missing a good opportunity when played through on goal while James Wilson had a notable penalty shout.
It gives Taylor things to think about ahead of Tuesday which is obviously another huge game for his future which leads us onto the final point.
Bristol Rovers Live on Whatsapp
Join Bristol Rovers Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol Rovers stories sent straight to your phone
Bristol Rovers Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol Rovers news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.
To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.
We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.
To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Vicious cycle makes change in the dugout currently feel inevitable
Chants directed at the manager once again throughout the majority of the second half highlighted where most of the fan base seem to be at in terms of their views regarding who’s in the dugout.
It was discussed after the Wycombe defeat when chants from sections of the Thatcher’s End emerged before Taylor’s position was effectively saved by back-to-back wins over Charlton and Burton. However, it always felt as though another bad performance or result in the league would trigger outbursts of discontent once again.
It’s no secret that the scale seems to have tipped in favour of making a change in the dugout amongst supporters in recent weeks which only foreshadows what now feels like the inevitable, regardless of whether you view that as positive or negative.
Like the situation prior to the Charlton game, a poor result against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday would likely trigger the end of Taylor’s time in charge. On the flip side, victory would make it three wins in four in the league which would be one of the best streaks of his tenure so far.
Based on the mood amongst supporters, it feels as though the Gas will have to go on a serious run of form to see it change to a more positive viewpoint which is unlikely to happen, not necessarily because of the stage this team is currently at but also the competitiveness and quality of the division.
Taylor’s position is, at this moment in time, fragile and it does feel as though restoring any cracks or fissures will be a significant task, making it hard at this moment in time to see the manager keep hold of his job for the foreseeable future.
The chanting can’t be ignored. The hierarchy will be well aware of the mood amongst supporters and right now it feels as though going into every game that is deemed as a ‘should-win’, the conversation will relate to what happens to the manager if they don’t win which is exhausting.
Games against Huddersfield won’t define Rovers’ season but games against Shrewsbury, especially at home, certainly fall into the said ‘should-win’ file. All eyes on Tuesday.