Foundation stone laid: Gas wants to stay on course for success after the draw against Rotherham

It wasn’t pretty, but Bristol Rovers managed to get a result that certainly falls into the ‘good point’ category from South Yorkshire on Saturday afternoon after fighting for a goalless draw at Rotherham United.

Millers manager Steve Evans’ post-match statement that it was the best points haul in the club’s history is somewhat exaggerated, but he was not wrong to say that his team put Rovers under pressure for much of the game and should have taken the points.

However, as they had done against Northampton Town the weekend before, this newly formed Gas team prided themselves on their defence and fought to keep a clean sheet. They also had their goalkeeper Josh Griffiths to thank for some great saves, particularly in the first half.

But ultimately Griffiths had to make a total of five saves as Rotherham fired 15 shots that went wide. Some were unfortunate, like Christ Tiehi’s which hit the post, while other moments lacked composure.

Although one area of ​​the pitch has improved significantly in the early stages of the new season compared to last season, there is still a big red circle around the area where there is still room for improvement: the final third.

Although they have four points and played with much of their spirit in their midweek cup defeat to Cardiff City, chances have been few and far between in those three games, highlighting that they still have a lot of work to do.

However, there is plenty of positive to report as Rovers are showing signs of being difficult to beat, something that wasn’t the case in the closing stages of last season. Here are some of the key talking points…

Improvement already in the area of ​​“zero-zero game”

Last season, the Gas failed to keep two consecutive clean sheets in the league and they have now done that. Back-to-back 1-0 away wins at Carlisle United and then Newport County in the EFL Trophy under Andy Mangan’s temporary stewardship were the only times Rovers kept more than one clean sheet in the previous season.

Furthermore, it took the Gas until the seventh round of League One last season to record their first clean sheet, when they beat Shrewsbury Town 2-0. It is clear, and was emphasised by Taylor after the game, that defensive strength is more valued today than it used to be.

It says a lot about the defence that Connor Taylor is not starting, especially after his manager named him Rovers’ best player against Cardiff while also looking back to his best form. The trio of Taylor Moore, James Wilson and Clinton Mola have worked superbly in these first two games.

As the Gas boss admitted, his team will be flexible with their line-up as the season progresses, but the fact that Rovers finished the game with virtually four centre-backs on the pitch shows what options they have, but also underlines how much pressure they were under in the closing stages to defend their point.

Sotiriou takes over from Captain Scott

Perhaps surprisingly for some, new captain Scott Sinclair was replaced by Ruel Sotiriou, the summer signing making his first start in Rovers colours as the Gas look to improve his fitness following a less than ideal start to BS7.

After a friendly against Melksham Town, the former Leyton Orient striker suffered a calf tear that ruled him out for the rest of the pre-season and the opening day win against Northampton. The Cypriot international returned from the bench against Cardiff.

Although the 23-year-old didn’t have much potential, Sotiriou’s efforts to chase lost goals and put pressure on the Rotherham defence were evident. As Taylor said, the first 15 minutes were excellent for Rovers and the summer signing played a big part in that.

With all the emphasis on the need for a new striker, it seems some may have forgotten that Sotiriou was brought in despite his setback. Sure, it may take him a while to get going, but 11 goals in League One last season for a side that finished four places above the Gas was certainly a coup.

“We have to get him on the pitch,” exclaimed the Rovers manager when asked after the game about the decision to replace Sinclair with Sotiriou. “We’ve invested in him. I can’t just put him on for the last 10, 15 minutes for the next three or four weeks and then another three or four weeks have gone by and he still hasn’t played any significant minutes.”

“It’s so nice that he has 45 points today and now we have to build him up. Do we plan for Chrissy and Ruel to get more playing time on Tuesday or do we plan for the following weekend?

“I think Promise needs a bit of rest at the start of the week. It sounds strange when you’re trying to get him fitter, but with the Tottenham game in mind you need to look after him a bit.”

“When you build a house, you start with the foundation”

To quote Taylor after the game: Rovers have clearly worked to work their way up the table as they progress, which has to be said to be the right decision given the disastrous number of easy goals they conceded last season. As we have stated in many previous articles, the 68 goals conceded last season was the fifth worst record in the league and needed serious improvement.

So far, things have improved, although the Gas do not want to allow their opponents more than 20 shots on goal in any game and have had a lot of luck at times in New York Stadium.

However, as mentioned in the introduction, it is clear to see where there is still room for improvement, namely the top of the pitch, or, to return to that analogy, the roof, and, if you’re lucky, possibly a few extra bedrooms.

There were flashes of this against Northampton, but in the games at Cardiff and Rotherham Rovers struggled to get the ball up the pitch and in and around the opposition penalty area. Indeed, getting past the halfway line was a challenge at times.

Promise Omochere has done excellently when dropping back, holding the ball and then playing it out wide to try and get some movement going, but most of the time this fails as the Gas are still looking for a little more momentum to their game.

It’s all well and good to say Rovers need another striker, but in their last three games they have had a total of 18 shots, with four on target. Rotherham had more chances to score in Saturday’s game. We’re not really talking about the Gas having efficiency issues here, although McCormick arguably had the best chance of the entire second half against the Millers. With a little more creativity, the goals should start coming.

The personnel are there. Isaac Hutchinson, Luke Thomas, McCormick, Sinclair, Sotiriou, Omochere, these are players we know have quality in the attacking third. It’s just about building those relationships on the pitch, which will undoubtedly take time.

Return of Chris

Although Rovers could certainly sign another attacking player before the transfer window closes, there is no better goalscorer on this team – and arguably in the entire league – than Chris Martin, who is officially eligible to play for the Gas again after serving his suspension.

It will be interesting to see over the next few weeks whether the 35-year-old will have to wait for a starting place behind Omochere, whether he will replace the club’s record signing or whether Taylor will join the duo up front as they share some similarities in the game.

As well as scoring 16 goals last season, Martin’s strength was dropping deep, holding the ball and then releasing it before making his way towards the box. We saw glimpses of this from Omochere, but the chances haven’t quite fallen yet.

It may be a few weeks before the experienced striker is in the starting XI for league matches after a somewhat uncoordinated pre-season, but in the short term, Tuesday night’s EFL Trophy match against Tottenham Hotspur’s Under-21s is a perfect opportunity for Martin to increase his playing time from the start – a huge boost for this team.

Many broken hands

Four points and two clean sheets at home to Northampton and away to Rotherham? I think when we first saw the fixture list we would have all been shaking our hands at each other.

Beating the Cobblers to break the opening day curse was crucial, but also because two really tough away games followed against the Millers and then Stockport County, who have obviously been promoted from League Two with momentum.

Next weekend’s trip to Edgeley Park looks daunting indeed after Stockport beat Blackpool 3-0 away on Saturday to build on their 2-0 opening day win over Cambridge United, but there is no pressure on the Gas, which could work to their advantage.

Obviously this is a work in progress and there will be some tough, frustrating afternoons in the near future, but Rovers are keen to start the season with momentum and good spirits at this early stage, long may it continue.