Bristol Rovers’ hectic festive period concludes tomorrow afternoon with a lunchtime kick-off away at Cambridge United in easily the Gas’ biggest game of the season far by some margin.
The two sides are separated by five points down at the bottom end of the table with Rovers just two points and one place above the relegation zone having played a game more than 21st place Crawley Town. Luckily, Inigo Calderon’s side haven’t yet dropped into the bottom four but they remain precariously close.
They have a great chance to begin the process of edging away from danger at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday afternoon but equally they can be pulled even further into the mire by Cambridge.
Despite three consecutive defeats and just one win in 11 in the league, there were positives to take from recent games against Leyton Orient and Exeter City as Calderon seeks his first victory as Rovers head coach. Here’s how we think the Gas could line up…
Goalkeeper and defence
Three goals shipped in each of the last three matches is extremely concerning levels of leakiness and, although two of the goals scored by Leyton Orient last time out were cracking finishes, there’s still a major hole at the back that needs to be plugged. However, is it tactics or personnel that needs to change?
Josh Griffiths in between the sticks is, as always, a no-brainer while it seems as though the centre-back pairing of Connor Taylor and James Wilson remains the go-to when playing a flat back-four. Taylor Moore must be scratching his head with the defender’s only opportunities in recent weeks coming out of position at right-back or right-wing-back.
The 27-year-old started the Orient game and had one of his better displays of late having endured a tough time in a couple of games when deployed out of position. However, the expectation is that Joel Senior will come back in as a natural option.
Out on the left, the point was made to Clinton Mola that his recent performances have been nowhere near good enough when being dropped for Lino Sousa on New Year’s Day but whether the Aston Villa loanee did enough to keep his place is up for debate.
On the ball, the 19-year-old was superb, producing some sensational footwork but defensively he struggled at times and was at fault for Orient’s third goal when he had his pocket picked in an extremely dangerous area. Personally, the teenager deserves more time to prove himself.
Midfield
It will be interesting to see whether Calderon brings Jamie Lindsay straight back in after serving a suspension for his sending off but without a doubt Grant Ward should keep his place. Fitness-wise the midfielder has seemed a lot more durable this campaign compared to last although he has been selected less. The 30-year-old was excellent on New Year’s Day and should hold onto his spot. For extra experience though, you’d expect Lindsay to regain his place with Kamil Conteh expected to still be out injured.
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Meanwhile, that would likely see Isaac Hutchinson push further up the pitch after being deployed in slightly deeper roles of late. The 24-year-old has shown quality in bursts and just needs to find that level of consistency which is the same for the majority of his teammates.
Out wide, Gatlin O’Donkor seems nailed on to start once again after an impressive display last time out while there’s certainly a shout for Shaq Forde to come in after picking up an assist off of the bench against his former side. That would see Luke Thomas drop out but Calderon will need to keep things fresh where possible considering the recent fixture congestion.
It also sees Ruel Sotiriou drop out who, despite looking better on Wednesday, is still struggling for sustained quality in a Rovers shirt.
Striker
Leading the line will no doubt be Chris Martin who bagged his first two goals of the season on Wednesday. Additionally, Bristol Live understands that Promise Omochere could be out for months as opposed to weeks with a hamstring injury picked up against Leyton Orient. Hopefully there will be more clarification from Calderon after today’s game.
If that doesn’t highlight the need for a striker in January, I’m not sure what else does…
Bristol Rovers XI (4-2-3-1): Josh Griffiths; Joel Senior, Connor Taylor, James Wilson, Lino Sousa; Jamie Lindsay, Grant Ward; Shaq Forde, Isaac Hutchinson, Gatlin O’Donkor; Chris Martin