Spirited Rovers deny play-off hopefuls Posh a vital victory
PETERBOROUGH UNITED VS BRISTOL ROVERS, LEAGUE ONE
Talking points from Bristol Rovers’ draw against Peterborough at the Weston Homes Stadium, by Sam Frost
BRISTOL Rovers showed they will not allow their season to peter out to an unsatisfactory conclusion with a strong away performance on Saturday, blunting play-off chasing Peterborough United in a goalless draw at London Road.
The end of a gruelling yet commendable season is edging ever closer for the Gas, but they were certainly not willing to let this game pass them by despite the absence of meaningful stakes for Joey Barton and his players.
Their place in the league is assured and a mid-table finish is certain, yet they matched 24-goal marksman Jonson Clarke-Harris and his Peterborough team-mates despite the huge motivation powering Darren Ferguson’s side. As it transpired, a win would have done Posh’s play-off hopes the world of good ahead of the final day with
Derby County dropping points. But Rovers did not let them have it. They defended doggedly throughout - and posed just as much of an attacking threat as their free-scoring hosts - to halt a three-game losing run and make sure the 515 travelling Gasheads did not travel across the country for nothing.
ON THE BEACH? NOT A
CHANCE
AFTER three defeats with varying degrees of quality and spirit, it was a consideration Rovers’ season may finish on an unsatisfactory flat note, but any notion that they might have less motivation than their opponents was quickly dispelled.
The Gas were aggressive in their press from the off, eager to nick the ball back high up the pitch and attack an exposed defence. Although Rovers were savvy in their shape, there was no semblance of sitting off and seeing how the game developed.
Peterborough had their season on the line, but Rovers did well to match them for output in a game that had little significance for them with a mid-table finish already certain. Although Posh pieced together passages of pressure in the closing stages, Rovers looked the more likely team to find a goal in the second half as they showed they were up for a scrap.
That was evidenced in a clash between Dan Butler and Ryan Loft midway through the second half, with the two tussling on the deck as the game continued with Rovers on the attack until referee Darren Drysdale belatedly cottoned on. A yellow card was shown to both men, but it was an encapsulation of Rovers’ attitude to this game, and this final phase of the campaign as a whole; they were full of pride and not going to be pushed around. Character has rarely been lacking this season from Barton’s players this season and since safety became assured a few weeks back, only in the Port Vale defeat were the Gas outworked. Against Sheffield Wednesday, they put the Owls under big pressure and were victims of a controversial offside call, and at Plymouth in midweek they grafted away with 10 men for more than an hour to avoid a thrashing on the scoreline.
Targets have been met and planning for next season has begun, but Rovers showed at London Road that they have allowed their professionalism to slip as the end of the campaign edges ever closer. GIBSON LEADS THE WAY IN
SOLID SHOWING
THIS was an excellent defensive showing from the Gas, keeping Clarke-Harris and his side-kicks at
arm’s length for the most part thanks to a commanding display from the centre-backs.
Jarrell Quansah delivered one of the best performances of his loan stay; the Liverpool prospect cleared so many crosses and corners as Posh attempted to utilise the physicality of Clarke-Harris and their three centre-backs.
There were rock-solid performances on the outside, too, with James Gibbons doggedly sticking to his task to curb the threats of Kwame Poku and Ephron MasonClark, while the ever-improving Lewis Gordon never flinched, even when balls were being slung into the box in the closing stages as Peterborough searched for what would have been an invaluable goal in their play-off pursuit.
In front of the back four, everyone played their part in pressing high and tracking back to inhibit Peterborough’s creative efforts.
But Lewis Gibson was the leader of the defensive unit, showing commendable strength in his duels with Clarke-Harris and company as well as showing a turn of speed shutting down any danger from balls that were played over the top for Poku and Mason-Clark to chase.
Most impressive was his communication and poise. He read moments of danger quickly and ensure he and his allies were in the right place to deal with it. Posh’s 23 shots, with only five on target, sums up how the Gas were able to funnel their attackers wide and take on low-percentage shots.
The Everton loanee’s stint with the Gas is coming to an end an an uncertain future awaits with his contract at Goodison Park expiring. Rovers would love to have him back but they are realistic about their prospects of doing a deal.
These could be his final two games in a Gas shirt and it has been a superb spell with the club, only hampered by injuries midway through the campaign.
If he benefits from a sustained run of fitness in the months and years ahead, he will be playing above League One level, certainly.
THE FINAL PASS
THE challenge for Rovers next season will be to convert performances like this into victories. They were a goal away from turning in the kind of away performance that managers strive for, managing moments of pressure, affecting the crowd and threatening in transition.
Although they were scrappy for the majority of the first period, Barton’s side did get into some brilliant areas, particularly when Lamare Bogarde’s hard work forced a chance for Josh Coburn and Aaron Collins to attack an isolated Josh Knight. Instead of feeding Collins for a clear run at goal, Coburn snatched at his shot and the chance passed. Collins was within his right to give the Middlesbrough striker a bit of stick.
After the break, things started to tidy up and Rovers increasingly looked a threat, with Sam Finley finding a groove and Ryan Loft battling hard, but it was the final pass that was eluding Rovers.