Taylor’s absence casts a shadow

IT WOULD be all too easy to suggest that Bristol Rovers ex-striker Matty Taylor, who joined arch-rivals Bristol City in midweek, could have been the difference in this game.

But even the prolific Taylor would have struggled to find the net in a match where the one good chance fell to a left-back.

And, rather than thinking about what might have been, Rovers assistant manager Marcus Stewart was keen to praise the outgoing striker’s potential successor, Luke James.

He said: “Footballers, coaching staff, managers and staff amongst the club are hardened to disappointments.

“You get on with it, one door shuts and another opens for someone else. That’s the conveyor belt of football.

“He [Luke James] will now get his chance I assume off the back of this performance.

“I thought he battled really well, he was brave. He’s got all the attributes to be a real good striker.

“With age and experience he will learn how to become a goal threat.

“You couldn’t say it wasn’t his day in front of goal because it was no ones for both teams.”

Tame headers were the best either side could muster up in an uneventful first half at Spotland. Ian Henderson looked dangerous on the counter attack but it came to nothing before Chris Lines summed up the game perfectly by tackling himself as he looked to create something at the other end.

On 72 minutes there was finally an opening as Stuart Sinclair played it through to Lee Brown but the full-back couldn’t beat Ben Wilson. Rory Gaffney had half a chance to win it in stoppage time but saw his shot go out for a throw-in.

However. Dale boss Keith Hill was pleased with his side’s response to successive 4-0 home defeats.

“The game won’t live long in the memory but we had to start again somewhere and forget about the eight goals we conceded in the last two games,” said Hill.

“We also have to learn to adapt to what is a deteriorating pitch that is causing us unbelievable problems for us as the home side.

“I have to give my players credit for trying to play on that.

“With the influential players we have out of the side through injury we have to come up with a different way of winning games and we are still experimenting.

“It’s about growing again and finding a different way of winning.”