“Insane” and “mad” were the adjectives Antony Evans used in the wake of Bristol Rovers’ extraordinary victory at Rochdale; the former to describe the circumstances and scenes surrounding Aaron Collins’ winner at Spotland and the quality of the travelling Gasheads in attendance; the latter as a form of categorisation for this group of players.
“We’re just a mad team”, he said in his deadpan and laidback Scouse accent. A brief but a pretty fair assessment given the journey this team has been on and the increasingly complex mixture of brilliance and bedlam that underpins their performances.
Rovers are 45 games deep in a frenetic League Two campaign and a glorious paradox of being a team in which it’s hard to pigeonhole exactly what they are as a side but, at the same time, that slight sense of chaos is precisely what makes them special and gives them an identity.
Unquestionably this squad possesses spirit in abundance, the individual ability of Evans and his contemporaries in blue and white means they are not short of a high level of skill, but there also appears to be an intangible sense of magic around this group.
Granted, that’s doing the hard yards this team puts in a disservice but Saturday’s conclusion to the regular season against Scunthorpe, and the uncertainty around what could happen, feels almost inevitable, given the high drama that has taken place throughout 2022/23. It was always going to end this way.
But Evans’ observation is pertinent in the context of what awaits at the Mem this weekend. Rovers know they almost certainly have to win (a draw could be enough but rapidly decreases their chances given they then require more than just Barrow vs Northampton to go their way), and the likelihood is by a sizeable margin.
If there’s one team across the entire Premier League and EFL that you want to face on the last day of the season, needing a healthy victory, then it’s surely Scunthorpe United; relegated on April 15, they have lost eight of their last 10 games, the other two being draws, and average 2.0 goals conceded per game since January 1.
It’s an obvious analogy, but it’s as close to an open goal for the Gas in terms of a fixture as there’s going to be at this stage of the season with what’s on the line. Unless, of course, you’d favour a straight shootout between the Gas and Northampton, to keep it a little more straightforward.
However, it does slightly alter the dynamic for Rovers given not just they are expected to win but there is a responsibility to win well. A sell-out Mem will deliver a thrilling atmosphere but the situation, either consciously or subconsciously, carries a danger of affecting what makes this team special.
It was evident at Spotland last weekend, as knowing a win was needed to keep the pressure on Northampton and keep the Gas in the promotion mix - at 3-1 down they had fallen to eighth in the table - Rovers, in Evans’ words, “sold ourselves a bit”; too open and too high up the pitch early in the contest, their sense of shape and structure deserted them in pushing for victory, Rochdale then taking immediate advantage.
Scunthorpe are not as good a side, nor have the same responsibility of playing at home. They are a side full of players either with an uncertain future as contract decisions will be made ahead of the National League, or academy talent. They should be ripe for the taking.
But as Evans indicates, Rovers cannot get carried away with the occasion or be too influenced by the cacophony around them, at least at the beginning of the game anyway. They must maintain some sense of game plan and strategy.
“We’ve got to control our emotions at times going into games,” Evans said. “The lads knew what was on the line and it’s going to be the same come Saturday.
“We were confident (against Rochdale) but, I don’t know, we just sold ourselves a bit too early; we tried to press high and Rochdale played some good stuff at times and got past us.
“We’re just a mad side - the way we do things, the way we come back; we give teams heads up in a game, we don’t want to be doing that, but when we’re given a challenge we certainly come through the other side of it.
“We’re very calm about the situation but if there’s a chance of automatics that’s what we want. (We have to) just prepare as normal, it’s just another game. Even though from the outside point of view there’s so much on the line.
“One more game, see what happens. If it’s play-offs, it’s play-offs; if it’s automatics, it’s automatics.”
As he tried to contextualise the previous 90 minutes and what’s left for Rovers this season, Evans spoke of enormous pride for teammate and roommate Aaron Collins, who claimed his first career hat-trick to complete the comeback.
Collins had been scoreless in his previous eight games and although playing well, previous concerns about his suitability as a central striker had resurfaced from certain sections of the fanbase, with a feeling that would ultimately be the area of the pitch that held the Gas back.
Not true. The Welshman’s treble has now elevated his goal tally to 16 and he’ll undoubtedly need to have his shooting boots on this Saturday to give Rovers the best chance of success.
“Funnily enough we spoke about it when we woke up,” Evans added. “We were saying we’d be dreaming about sausage rolls (goals), it was mad.
“We share a room and I said, ‘you’re scoring’ and for him to come away with three, was it his first career hat-trick? I’m absolutely over the moon for him. He’s come a long way, Azza; he had a tough start but the goals he’s scored, at times like today, he’ll go down in legend for that.”
Depending on how the FA rule the appeal against Paul Coutts’ suspension, Evans could have Glenn Whelan alongside him in midfield with the veteran there to shield the continual forays forward the 23-year-old is likely to make as pressure is applied on the Scunthorpe penalty area.
“If your skipper goes out on a red card, for Glenn Whelan to replace him, it’s the best scenario you can ask for. The lads won’t be different having Glenn back in there, it’ll be great,” Evans said.
But the former Everton trainee knows he needs to up his performance-level as despite coming away from Spotland with two more assists to take his tally to 11 and two short of league leader Kane Wilson of Forest Green in that particular department, he didn’t deliver his very best at such a crucial time.
“To still contribute even though I’m not at my best, it’s always nice to help the team but I’ve also got to look at myself and think I need to be better,” he said.
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