Boss Barton delighted for match-winner Anderton
HARROGATE BRISTOL ROV 0 1
JOEY Barton revelled in Bristol Rovers’ improving away form after claiming three points at Harrogate to make it four unbeaten on the road.
Half-time substitute Nick Anderton scored the game’s only goal, turning home from close in with 26 minutes to play to lift Rovers to 16th place, five points adrift of the top seven.
Harrogate were League Two’s leading scorers at the start of play, but Rovers limited them to very few chances, and Barton was quick to pass the praise to his players.
“I thought the lads were superb,” Barton said. “We really defended properly, as we needed to, but a little bit disappointed that we didn’t get the second or third to give me less of a heart rate on the sideline.
“Really pleased with the guys. I thought they were superb to a man.
“We’ve been going well in recent weeks away from home since we won away at Walsall and had a couple of tough away games against
Colchester and Bradford. Coming here today against a team in form who had a great start to the season and they’ve been free-scoring, especially the two boys up front, who have been really good for them. To limit them to very few chances, that will do no end of good for our group.
“I’m really pleased for Nick. He’s had a tough time and the lads were all delighted for him in there.
“A real team performance and I’m happy we got the job done and we take three points back to Bristol.”
Anderton has endured a difficult spell since joining Rovers from Carlisle at the start of the summer, struggling to find form and a regular place in the side, but Barton made clear the defender has a massive influence on the squad, even when his minutes have been limited.
“When you move to a new team, you want to hit the ground running and play your best football and score goals, but it doesn’t always transpire for people like that,” the manager said. “Nick’s a really good lad, a good team man, a good person in and around the dressing room.
“He’s been low because the players are human, they read social media, they read comments and they just want to do the quarters proud when they pull on the jersey.
“It’s obviously not nice when you read things about yourself that your professional capacity is questioned.
“For him to get that goal, but also his overall play, is really pleasing because he’s a superb lad and a good team person.”
After a week of uncomfortable headlines for the club, with Barton apologising for causing offence at his post-match press conference a week ago, the manager is pleased focus has returned to the pitch.
He added: “We want to make the Rovers fans as happy as we can and give them the best football team so they can pay their hard-earned money and know the team is going to fight for them. That’s what every Gashead wants and today we’ve delivered that.”
Harrogate: Oxley, Burrell, Smith, Hall, Page, Thomson (Orsi-Dadomo 69), Pattison, Falkingham, Diamond, Muldoon (Power 69), Armstrong (Martin 72). Not Used: Cracknell, Sheron, Kerry.
Booked: Smith, Martin.
Rovers: Belshaw, Anderson, Taylor, Harries, Brown (Anderton 46), Coutts, Whelan, Evans, Thomas (Collins
90), Pitman (Kilgour 10), Nicholson. Not Used: Westbrooke, Martinez, Ward, Langlais.
Booked: Whelan, Brown, Evans, Coutts.
Goals: Anderton 64.
Attendance: 2,614.
Referee: Peter Wright (Merseyside).