Joey Barton still searching for consistency ahead of Bristol Rovers relegation tussle with Swindon

A 2-0 defeat at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday means that Joey Barton has a record of two wins, one draw and five defeats in his first eight games as Bristol Rovers manager as he attempts to help the Gas avoid relegation to League Two.

Niall Ennis’ first-half brace meant that the Gas remained out of the bottom four on goal difference alone as the fight for survival in League One has effectively become a six-team shootout.

The loss at Home Park was typical of their performances since the one-cap England international took the job; Rovers were comfortable in possession but ultimately came away with nothing due to a lack of cutting edge in attack and costly errors in defence.

Despite not yet picking up enough points to pull away from the relegation zone, Barton seems to have at least inspired belief among the players.

The style of football they are attempting to play is far more adventurous and easy on the eye than what they were playing under predecessor Paul Tisdale, and trusting in players who only featured sporadically under Tisdale, like Jonah Ayunga, has seemingly provided hope that a return to the fourth tier can be avoided.

However, these initial positives that coincided with impressive wins against Shrewsbury and Accrington have had the shine taken off them by a three-game winless run that has included a drab goalless draw with relegation rivals AFC Wimbledon and the surrendering of a two-goal lead at Charlton in a game that ended in defeat.

“We’re trying to climb Everest and those that can come with us, great, because the higher we go now, the altitude, the air gets thinner and if we’ve got any passengers, they’ll cause casualties along the way.

“So on Monday morning, we might lose one or two, because we can’t have any dead weight trying to summit this mountain that is in front of us for our League One survival.”

– Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton talking about his players following the weekend’s defeat to Plymouth

A further concern for Barton has been injuries to Sam Nicholson and Alex Rodman.

Scottish youth international Nicholson has been Rovers’ most productive attacker this season providing six goals and three assists, but a persistent hip injury that he picked up at the beginning of the New Year flared up again in the defeat at the Valley, and his manager has suggested he may now need an operation that would rule him out for the remainder of the campaign.

Veteran Rodman was forced off in the draw with the Dons due to a muscular problem, and although he does not possess the goal threat of Nicholson, the 34-year-old had started five of Barton’s first six games in charge and scored in the win against Accrington.

Tuesday’s visit of a Swindon side that have had a similarly underwhelming campaign looks a vital opportunity to pick up points, with three games against promotion hopefuls Sunderland, Ipswich and Doncaster to follow.

Whilst Rovers were toiling on the south coast, Swindon were more than 300 miles away in Fleetwood, picking up a 2-0 win that saw them leapfrog the Gas in the league table.

Two goals from midfielder Scott Twine secured a first win in five for the Robins as they moved level on points and goal difference with their West Country rivals and above them in the standings courtesy of having scored more goals.

Although it is Barton who has more regularly attracted headlines throughout his career, his opposite number John Sheridan has been the centre of attention in recent weeks.

A disagreement with the local media saw individual journalists reportedly restricted from asking the former Republic of Ireland international questions, before the club came out and made an official statement denying the suggestions.

Following a 3-1 defeat to Gillingham last weekend that left the Robins in the relegation zone, it was widely believed that Sheridan was on the verge of resigning having won just 6 of his 26 league games in charge and supporter unrest mounting by the week.

It was therefore something of a surprise to see him still in the dugout for the trip to Highbury on Saturday, yet a committed performance that Sheridan labelled the best of the season saw Swindon come away with three points after scoring from the only two shots on target of the game.

The return of Anthony Grant from a long-term injury has had a noticeably positive impact on the Robins’ performances. Used in an unfamiliar centre-back role against Fleetwood, the 33-year-old’s composure in possession and leadership skills helped to make a side that can often look frantic far more organised.

Although Sheridan will be relieved that Grant is now available, Jordan Lyden and Jonathan Grounds are set to be absent on Tuesday night through injury.

Having lost out to Oxford in the A420 derby only a fortnight ago, securing a win the local bragging rights against Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Ground would not only help the Robins in their fight against relegation but also help to win back favour with Swindon fans.

“We’ve mentioned how important it is to the fans, but it’s important to us too because we need to continue the momentum after Saturday.

“You always want your own destiny in your own hands. We’ve got five of the bottom six to play, but we’ve got to take each game as it comes and try to pick up three points tomorrow.”

– Swindon Town full-back Paul Caddis

With both sides locked on level points as relegation fears intensify, either manager finding a way to to come out on top could have a significant impact on who remains in League One next season.

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