Key pair sorely missed as Gas lack guile against Charlton
Talking points from Bristol Rovers’ defeat to Charlton at the Memorial Stadium, by
WE all knew playing without Sam Nicholson and Erhun Oztumer was going to be hard. But only after Bristol Rovers’ 1-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic did we realise how crucial the pair truly are for Paul Tisdale’ side.
Rovers’ attack was blunted with their two key creators sidelined, as they huffed and puffed but failed to break down an Addicks defence hit by injuries and suspensions.
The malaise at the top end of the pitch transferred to their own box as Jake Forster-Caskey scored the only goal of the game, whipping a bouncing corner directly into the net at the front post. It was an inexcusable goal to concede and it cost Rovers a valuable point.
Tisdale will hope that set-piece nightmare can be addressed swiftly on the training ground. The craft and class of Nicholson and Oztumer, however, cannot be coached and Rovers need the Scotsman back, in particular, as they enter the defining period of their season.
ROVERS’ HEART AND SOUL RIPPED OUT
WITHOUT Oztumer and Nicholson on Saturday, the Gas were a shell of themselves. They lacked the guile needed to unlock the Charlton defence, and their absence told on the other players.
Tisdale saw nerves and anxiety in some of the Pirates’ possession play, and to a degree it was understandable with their duo of flair players unavailable.
Oztumer is Rovers’ beating heart, the pacemaker buzzing around in the final third, keeping the ball ticking over and crafting openings for the forwards.
Nicholson is Rovers’ vibrant, unpredictable soul. A mercurial talent capable of collecting the ball and turning it into a goal. AFC Wimbledon and Rochdale know plenty about that. Not only are they players of class, but they raise the level of the players around them.
But, when the Gas got a foot on the ball and their heads up against the Addicks, their two most influential playmakers were missing, and much to Tisdale’s frustration his side did not find another route to victory.
Oztumer, absent because he was ineligible to play against his parent club, will return to the starting XI against Crewe at Gresty Road tomorrow, but Tisdale is playing a nervous waiting game with Nicholson.
The Scottish forward resumed running on Saturday morning after three games out with a hip injury. He will miss at least one more, but Rovers need their X-factor player back as soon as possible.
A SHOCKING GOAL TO CONCEDE
WHILE Rovers were far from their best in possession, they did a relatively decent job of containing the league’s top scorers.
Charlton went into the game having scored more than any other team in League One, and it’s not hard to see why with Chuks Aneke and Connor Washington forming a menacing partnership up top, and with the likes of Omar Bogle and Ronnie Schwartz in reserve.
So it must be galling for Tisdale that Rovers’ good work in defence was undone by schoolboy defending at a corner - an area which had been a real strength for Tisdale’s Rovers until Saturday.
Forster-Caskey’s corner was intended for Liam Millar to flick on at the perimeter of the six-yard box, but he made no contact and it should have been a simple mop
ping up job for Josh Grant at the near post.
But the midfielder, already having a difficult day after a slack first half with several poor touches, had no conviction and the bouncing ball, albeit an awkward one, skidded past his attempt to block its path and snuck in at the near post.
The reaction of the perplexed Joe Day said it all. There are fine margins at this level and it was an inexcusable passage of defending, because had Rovers handled that episode appropriately they were on course for a handy point against strong opposition.
PROUD MOMENT FOR KILGOUR
AN increasingly impressive run of form has seen Alfie Kilgour reestablish himself as a key player at
the Memorial Stadium, and on Saturday he donned the captain’s armband for the first time in a league game with skipper Max Ehmer suspended. It certainly won’t be the last time he leads his boyhood club out of the tunnel, and he led impressively against Charlton’s menacing forwards.
It was a memorable day for the 22-year-old and his family. If only he could have taken his late, difficult chance to equalise with a diving header. It would have made it a near perfect day for Rovers’ number 15.
AYUNGA’S PROMISE
IT’S taken much longer than expected, but summer signing Jonah Ayunga started his first league game for Rovers on Saturday, and all things considered he
did pretty well. While it is apparent he and Brandon Hanlan have found little chemistry at this stage, Ayunga - who missed more than two months with a hamstring injury before Christmas - looked one of Rovers’ most likely sources of imagination. He turned Adam Matthews inside out in the first half to create a good chance for his strike partner, and had the pace and power to worry the Charlton defence. All he lacked was decent service for much of the 90 minutes.
It remains indisputable Rovers need another striker on their books this month, but progression from Ayunga in the coming weeks could certainly ease Tisdale’s scoring concerns. The former Havant & Waterlooville forward has all the attributes to make the grade in League One, and he has a big part to play in Tisdale’s plans.
MOMENTUM IS KEY
SATURDAY’S defeat was not the ideal way to begin a spell of 16 games in eight weeks, and with so many games against quality opponents looming, and in quick succession, it is a legitimate concern that negative momentum could quickly proliferate.
Tisdale has the challenge of picking his players up today ahead of a tough test against Crewe Alexandra 24 hours later, and the Railwaymen have been the most impressive of the promoted sides this term.
Getting a result in Cheshire will be no easy task, but with games against in-form Peterborough and Oxford United shortly after, points in the bag could be vital.