Saunders confident Barton will get the best out of him at Rovers
HARVEY Saunders’ arrival in north Bristol made him the third of Joey Barton’s former charges to swap Fleetwood for Bristol Rovers - but unlike Paul Coutts and Sam Finley he arrives with an air of mystery about him.
Saunders enjoyed a stellar start to the 2020-21 League One season, played behind closed doors with few eyes on him, but spent most of the campaign as an impact substitute for the Cod Army - his 21 League One appearances averaged just 23 minutes per game.
Having emerged through the non-League system with Darlington, where he has made the majority of his first-team appearances, he signed for Fleetwood in 2019 as something of a project for Barton.
A quick, athletic, mobile and energetic striker who plays on the fringes of defences and loves to run in behind, with the right service he could progress considerably in the blue and white quarters.
After all, it’s easy to overlook amid Rovers’ risible run of results and eventual relegation that they finished the season with the 12th most key passes in the division and 10th overall for shots per game. With a finisher on board, the improvement to this team would be significant.
Saunders believes Barton is the man to draw that out of him, having been reunited with his former Fleetwood boss at the Memorial Stadium just in time for the start of pre-season.
“I’ve worked with the gaffer and the coaching staff before, as soon as
they come in, there was only one decision,” said Saunders. “For me personally, him and the coaching staff have been really good.
“I need someone to tell me the things I’m not doing right, there’s no beating around the bush, tell me straight - ‘this is what you’re not doing, this is what you need to do, so crack on and do it.’ That developed me as a player and that’s what I want to do.”
Saunders enjoyed an impressive start to last season, with eight goals across all competitions - three in the league and five in the EFL Trophy
- before failing to find the target after mid-October. He made just two starts in 2021 as Barton’s replacement at Fleetwood, Simon Grayson, reduced him to sporadic and minimal cameos off the bench, leading to a loan spell at Hartlepool to conclude the campaign.
It’s worth highlighting Saunders’ minutes per goal was a strong 167 and his three goals in League One were from just 15 shots and his shooting accuracy was an impressive 53 per cent.
As to his best attributes, Saunders cites his “speed and work rate” with a desire to improve on every other aspect of his game which will hopefully lead to that intangible ingredient that brings the best out of every player.
“Confidence, I think,” Saunders said, with regards to the secret behind his fine start to 2020-21. “Working with the gaffer and the coaching staff and they know how to get the best out of me. Hopefully I can get that back and do it here.
“It was my first taste of the professional game and I was glad to get on the pitch as many times as I could and score a few goals.”