Bristol Rovers offered the clearest indication yet that they are on a journey of progress and improvement at Swindon Town on Saturday.
Ben Garner’s Swindon dictated terms en route to a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, but Joey Barton’s Gas are a different team these days.
Barton labelled his team “dominant” in the wake of a 1-1 draw at the County Ground, and the fact Rovers were unable to make more of their control is both a source of frustration and emblematic of the next steps the Gas must take.
If they are to eradicate the 11-point gap to the top seven, the simplest way of doing that is by beating the sides in those positions. It is a leap forward that Rovers were able to impose themselves on a game like this, but the play-off places will likely elude them if they don’t start doing damage to their rivals for the positions.
A measure of progress but a long way to go
The defeat to Swindon in October was one of the lowest ebbs of the season for the Gas. Not only was a defeat to a…
