In light of the injury to Friend, Bristol Rovers anticipated the team vs. Wigan and said Josh Grant would be chosen.
Bristol Rovers welcome Wigan Athletic in an attempt to pick up back-to-back league victories and their first home league triumph of the year.
The games are coming thick and fast for Bristol Rovers once more, with a third game in a week against Wigan Athletic this afternoon. However, League One is in full swing now with no further cup games until the beginning of November following Tuesday night’s 3-1 loss to West Ham United U21s in the EFL Trophy.
Rovers will play eight league games, five of which will be at home, before the start of their FA Cup run on the weekend of November 4. It is obvious where the Gas need to improve before this afternoon’s match against Wigan given that they have only managed three victories at the Mem this calendar year.
Shaun Maloney’s team, who have performed admirably since dropping to League One following their relegation from the Championship last season, will present a strong challenge for Rovers as they attempt to earn their first league victory of the season later today in BS7.
Having started the season with an eight-point deduction, the Latics sit just outside the relegation zone but have amassed results that would convert into 13 points with wins at Derby County and Bolton Wanderers particularly impressive outings.
Both sides come into the match off the back of league wins last Saturday with the Gas winning 2-0 at Shrewsbury Town whilst Wigan secured a 2-1 victory at home to Cambridge United as both look to build momentum for different reasons.
Starting the campaign eight points behind their 23 League One counterparts will make an instant return to the second tier a significant challenge for the north west outfit but must pick up enough points to ensure they’re not dragged into a relegation battle as a result whilst Rovers have ambitions of pushing for promotion this campaign but need to find consistency.
On the topic of consistency, the Gas could also do with edging towards finding a first-choice XI with sides that get promoted rarely chopping and changing regularly. Joey Barton will be forced into at least one change from the side that started at Shrewsbury following George Friend’s injury but is that all he needs to make, particularly after highlighting that very few of the fringe players that started on Tuesday took their chance? Here is how we are predicting Rovers to set up this afternoon.
Goalkeeper and defence
As was the case for many of his teammates, even a world-class display from James Belshaw in goal against the young Hammers on Tuesday probably wouldn’t have been enough to instantly boost his second-choice credentials to first-choice ahead of Matt Cox who has started every league game so far this term.
The youngster finally got a deserved first clean sheet in professional football and has been a welcome addition to the squad with playing out from the back almost habit for the confident goalkeeper. It’s a no-brainer to start him.
Ahead of the 20-year-old, at least one change from the side that started at Shrewsbury will be made with Friend’s involvement easy to forget having lasted just seven minutes on the pitch at the Croud Meadow before pulling up with an injury which is expected to keep the left-back out for a few weeks at least.
It’s a decision between Josh Grant and Lewis Gordon at left-back with the former coming on to play the vast majority of the game against Shrewsbury whilst the latter was disappointing when given an opportunity on Tuesday evening. Frankly, it’s a close call but after Tuesday it genuinely looks as though Grant will pip Gordon in the pecking order now.
At right-back, that too is a no-brainer with Jack Hunt’s excellent display in Shropshire last weekend whilst Luca Hoole and James Gibbons struggled to stand-out in Tuesday night’s defeat. The former Sheffield Wednesday man contributed with two crucial blocks in the first half against the Salops as well as the cross that lead to Connor Taylor’s header which found Aaron Collins to score the decisive second goal.
Sandwiched by the full-backs, Taylor is surely a certain starter after a mammoth display at the back on Saturday. Granted, the centre-back did come on at half-time against West Ham and gave away a penalty whilst also being part of a side that conceded a further two from open play but there’s no doubt that the 21-year-old should be starting this one.
Next to him, Barton confirmed that James Wilson’s substitution at half-time on Tuesday was in regards to keeping the squad fresh and not injury-related, particularly after Tristan Crama picked up a tendon issue in training with scans revealing the young defender will be side lined for a couple of weeks at least. The Frenchman has now gone back to parent club Brentford for rehabilitation.
As one of the most experienced players in the squad, Wilson is another player that feels like a no-brainer to have in the side when fit and available.
Midfield
With Ryan Woods the only midfielder to stay in the team for Tuesday’s EFL Trophy match after Shrewsbury as he settles into new surroundings, it’s hard to see past the same trio starting once more, assuming a 4-3-3 is the way in which Rovers set up.
Both Lamare Bogarde and Antony Evans, alongside Woods, did a solid job at linking up play in Shropshire with the former particularly efficient at winning the ball back with some shrewd interceptions and blocks.
Luke McCormick came on at the Croud Meadow and impressed whilst the midfielder probably could have had a hattrick against West Ham having started. Currently, the consensus generally feels as though he’s a good squad player to have to bring on and offer fresh legs when needed but starting a league game still feels a bit of a way away for the 24-year-old.
It also means that Sam Finley is probably set for a spell out of the team as well, starting-wise that is, after a frustrating start to the season for the captain personally. A good deal of his performances have been criticised by sections of the fanbase and the balance Bogarde, Woods and Evans showed on Saturday suggests that Barton has his best-possible midfield trio picked.
Furthermore, it has also been cleared up that Grant Ward’s absence is injury-related with the 28-year-old not making a matchday squad since the defeat to Wycombe Wanderers which has raised eyebrows after his decent start to the campaign. No changes in the middle.
Attack
As highlighted after the game by his manager on Tuesday evening, Harvey Vale is probably the only player part of the nine changes who could be pleased with his contribution against the Hammers. Frustratingly though for the Chelsea loanee, it’s tricky to see a place arise for him.
Ideally, the 19-year-old would be playing a number 10 position just behind the striker but that isn’t really possible in this 4-3-3 shape with more emphasis on having a defensive midfielder provide extra protection to the backline. Therefore, playing right-wing is the most likely position for the Englishman.
Amidst the delight of Rovers’ ability to dig in and get a result against Shrewsbury, last weekend was probably the poorest display of arguably the Gas’ player of the season so far Luke Thomas so far this campaign. The winger just struggled to make an impact similar to previous games this term with his pace and tenacity reaping limited reward this time around for some reason.
