Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Rovers duo look out of favour with Coughlan
TWO Bristol Rovers players have seemingly quickly become forgotten men under caretaker-boss Graham Coughlan.
The temporary chief confirmed there was a sickness bug going around the Pirates camp on New Year’s Day as they drew 0-0 at home to Burton, and missing from the squad altogether were two men who had featured regularly on the wings this season under previous manager Darrell Clarke – Kyle Bennett and Sam Matthews.
Bennett joined the club last February as a free transfer, having been released by Portsmouth, while Matthews arrived in the summer from Bournemouth.
The latter, aged 21, has played 22 games this season and came off the bench in the 2-1 win over Fleetwood on December 22. But other than that, he has not played for Coughlan.
Bennett, 28, has featured 25 times this season, but again has played only a few minutes off the bench in the 2-1 defeat away at Sunderland since Clarke left.
After that match, Coughlan said he was disappointed with the impact his subs made and said he had been forced into making them.
Coughlan has outlined his policy that while the team is doing well he will continue to select the same side, and that must make being left out all the more difficult to swallow.
While both players in question may well have had the bug which was going around the Rovers camp, both Bennett and Matthews were at the Memorial Stadium on New Year’s Day and in good enough shape to be put through their paces after the final whistle in a fast-paced training game. Also taking part in the session with the substitutes was Daniel Leadbitter, who has not yet played a minute under Coughlan.
So just how far down the pecking order have Bennett and Matthews fallen, with Joe Martin picked ahead of them on the left wing with Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, Coughlan’s first choice player in that position, rested for the Burton clash.
Martin is a defensive-minded player and Coughlan confirmed he was one of the squad members battling illness on Saturday when the Pirates beat Oxford.
Stefan Payne missed that game with what Coughlan described as a virus, but was back in the squad next time out, again ahead of the pair of attacking players.
Rovers do not have a game today, as they have already been knocked out of the FA Cup, but are scheduled to play at Northampton in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday.
Their next League One game is at mid-table Accrington Stanley a week today.