The Memorial Stadium Saturday 18th February 2023
Bristol Rovers 1
Marquis (9)
Burton Albion 2
Kirk (44), Winnall (55)
Referee: Christopher Pollard Attendance: 8,164
Following the impressive midweek performance against Ipswich Town manager Joe Barton made just two changes to his starting lineup, bringing in defender Calum Macdonald for his debut and also including John Marquis. The players to miss out were Lewis Gordon and Harry Anderson.
Rovers started the game well and James Gibbons again looked comfortable marauding down the right flank and linking up well with Scott Sinclair.
An eighth minute foray down that right hand side saw the defender attempt an ambitious attempt on goal but his wayward effort went out for a throw in near the players tunnel!
A minute later, though, he was far more accurate and after playing a neat one two with Sinclair his pinpoint cross found Marquis who simply guided his header into the net.
I think the Rovers fans in the crowd sensed more goals were to come and Aaron Collins twice went close to increasing the lead. In spite of a medical emergency in the crowd, which led to a lengthy stoppage, Rovers continued to look the better side until, that is, the 44th minute.
At the Blackthorn End Jarell Quansah missed a simple headed chance in front of goal from corner and the visitors hit a long, hopeful ball upfield which wasn’t dealt with by Quansah, Gibbons or James Connolly, allowing Dale Taylor to slip the ball to the unmarked Charlie Kirk who comfortably beat Ellery Balcombe for the equaliser.
You could visibly see how that affected Barton’s players and any confidence they had simply drained from them and you could sense that the second period was going to be a long hard slog.
And so it proved. The visitors took control of proceedings and edged ahead ten minu5tes after the break with a really sloppy goal. As Burton attacked, Rovers failed to clear their lines and Balcombe saved one effort while Quansah blocked another. However, in a chaotic penalty area the ball fell to Sam Winnall who bundled the ball over the line from close range while Rovers defenders waited in vain for an offside flag to be raised.
Barton made a triple substitution shortly after the hour mark, but it made little difference to the way his side played. The whole team looked increasingly fragile and lacking in leadership.
Burton might have added to their goal tally, but Balcombe saved well from Terry Taylor and again from Kirk after a mistake by Gordon allowed the Burton man to face the keeper in a one on one situation.
The keeper won that battle but was subjected to abuse from his own supporters when twice electing to punch the ball clear rather than catch it and loud calls for the return of James Belshaw were heard rising from the Thatchers Terrace. When your confidence is already low, that’s the last thing you need!
Balcombe was, though, fortunate not to concede a third when he spilt a shot from Deji Oshilaja. Taylor pounced on the loose ball and hit a shot into the unguarded net but, fortunately, the offside flag was raised on this occasion.
Defeat meant that only one point has been gained from the last seven league matches.
Bristol Rovers: Balcombe, Gibbons (Coburn, 71), Quansah, Connolly (Hoole, 79), Macdonald (Gordon, 61), Ward (Coutts, 61), Bogarde (Anderson, 61), Evans, Sinclair, Collins, Marquis.
Substitutes: Belshaw, Whelan.
Burton Albion: MacGillivray, Brayford, Hughes, Moon, Hamer, Oshilaja, McCann (Kirk, 24,) (Shaughnessy, 86), Ashworth, Powell, Winnall (Ahadme, 57), Taylor.
Substitutes: Kean, Walker, Carayol, Wakelin.
ALSO
Former Rovers player Mustapha Carayol was an unused Burton Albion substitute while another former Rovers player, Chris Beardsley, is a member of the Burton management team
No yellow cards for a Rovers player for the second consecutive match
Aaron Collins was skipper
Rovers league debut for Calum Macdonald
Five substitutes used
Sixteen added minutes
(photos courtesy of JMP)
Keith Brookman