We’ll reflect on some of our decisions - Barton
JOEY Barton will reflect on his tactical decisions after nineman Bristol Rovers conceded late to draw 1-1 at Colchester United on Tuesday.
Rovers were the superior side at the JobServe Community Stadium and deservedly led thanks to Brett Pitman’s glancing header.
Suddenly, the pattern of a game that the Gas had been managing comfortably changed dramatically in the closing minutes with attackers Sam Nicholson, Aaron Collins and Luke Thomas withdrawn from the action.
Three more defensive-minded players were brought on in their place and Colchester seized the impetus.
Still, Rovers looked to be hanging on until Cian Harries was sent off three minutes from time after referee Graham Scott deemed him guilty of time-wasting over a throw-in and brandished a second yellow card.
Colchester equalised against the 10 men when Noah Chilvers scored a superb half-volley one minute after the red card, and then two more sending offs followed with Trevor Clarke and Junior Tchamadeu receiving straight reds for an off-theball clash in the 91st minute.
Barton was asked at full time if he regretted not bringing on Sion Spence, the one attacker available on his bench, in favour of Clarke, Paul Coutts and Luca Hoole.
“You always regret when a team scores late in a game and you make a decision with 10-15 minutes on the clock to wrap it up and take three hard-earned points back to Bristol,” Barton said.
“When it comes off and you score a last-minute equaliser (referencing Saturday’s draw at Bradford), you look like a genius, and when it doesn’t come off you look like an idiot. That’s the nature of my job.
“In hindsight, we’ll go away and review and reflect and look at some of the decisions, but I felt the lads who were tasked with that responsibility - Luca Hoole going on there - won some key headers for us.
“I just think a refereeing decision and maybe a little bit of ill-discipline on our behalf has put us under the cosh a little bit.”
Barton insists he had little choice in taking off the players he did, given Nicholson and Thomas’ recent return from injury and Collins’ two huge shifts in the space of four days, but Gasheads will certainly question whether he could have made better use of his changes in the circumstances.
Barton said: “There is a bigger picture for us and it would have been nice to keep them on the pitch for 90 minutes, but this is a marathon and not a sprint.
“We’re starting to pick up hardearned points, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Premier League referee Graham Scott was in charge of Tuesday’s night’s game, but Barton was not pleased with his view of the red-card incidents late in the game.
“I feel sorry for the boys because you don’t envisage the referee sending somebody off for a throw-in,” he said.
“The ball is out of play, Can you give him a warning? Is it a sendingoff offence? Were we really running the clock down that badly?
“But in his infinite wisdom he’s decided to affect the game, the referee and it’s cost us two extra points.
“For me there were not three red cards in that game. You were all here tonight but the referee has decided that game warranted that.”
The manager does accept his side need to be more disciplined and “streetwise”, with Harries and Clarke set to receive one and three-match bans respectively.
“We’ve got to take the result out of the referee’s hands because if you get that second goal, it’s game over and then the referee’s crazy decisions don’t affect you,” he added.