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 local rival and a former manager on the home patch hard to swallow, but it was a worrying sign that a chasm separated Rovers from the best teams in the division.
Almost four months down the line, however, there was nothing between the teams. In fact, this game was played on Rovers' terms. Swindon may average 62 per cent of possession at home but Barton's side allowed them just 43 per cent of the ball.
There has been a feeling building that Rovers have improved since the autumn and Saturday's performance – despite not winning the game – was hard evidence that they are a different entity now to the one that drifted well off the pace at the start of the season.
The next step is winning games like this. The Gas will need to take points off the teams in the top seven if they are to cancel out that 11-point deficit and usurp the sides in possession.
But for now, Barton will be heartened with his side unbeaten in three in League Two with games against Scunthorpe United and Walsall that next up on the slate.
The Gas are certainly on an upward trajectory but will they peak in time to make it into the play-offs? There are tangible signs of progress but there is a long way to go.
'Coming of age'
With a back four with an average age of 20.5 deployed with Alfie Kilgour and Cian Harries out injured, Barton described Saturday as a "coming of age" game for the Gas.
They may have played in front of a bigger crowd at Bradford City earlier in the season, but this was certainly the biggest occasion several of Rovers' young players have experienced in their careers to date.
Connor Taylor, aged 20, is immense weekly, but he took his physical dominance to a new level against Swindon, giving the monstrous Tyreece Simpson – who turned down the chance to pursue a career in rugby with Leicester Tigers – no joy in aerial battles and forcing the striker to look elsewhere for his opportunites to attack.
James Connolly, also 20, started nervously and his poor touch led to Simpson's goal. In the midst of a fiery atmosphere and a feisty game, it would have been easy to unravel. The Cardiff loanee was given a couple more hellish moments by the Swindon striker, but he came out the other side without buckling under the pressure.
And 19-year-old Luca Hoole continues to impress whenever he gets a starting chance. His maturity and ability to read the game is a credit to the club's academy as the Welshman puts together a strong case to be in Rovers' first-choice XI.
Rovers left the pitch frustrated that they could not capitalise fully on a fine performance for three points, but this game was an acid test that was passed and that bodes well for the challenges ahead.
Defence is the best form of attack
This was a much more fluid performance than the victory over Hartlepool a week previously, with Sam Finley's presence in midfield and the full-backs Hoole and Josh Grant dispursing out to the touchline to receive passes giving Rovers' more avenues to progress the ball up the pitch.
Ryan Loft also got more balls to stick in the final third when Rovers opted to go long.
But it is Rovers' defending from the front that is proving to be one of their most dangerous attacking weapons.
Pressing is becoming a growing part of their arsenal. What the likes of Antony Evans, Sam Nicholson and Aaron Collins bring in quality, they match with hard graft.
That is nothing new, but what has changed is the man leading the line: Ryan Loft. The 24-year-old will want to pose more of a scoring threat in the coming games, but he has given the Gas an added degree of versatility.
Before the transfer window, Barton had to choose between mobility and physicality up front, but Loft brings both qualities and he, in conjunction with the technical players around him, has enhanced Rovers' ability to defend from the front.
Barton's side do not always press high, but when they do they fully commit, often going man for man across the park. That has inherrent risks, but it caused Swindon plenty of problems. They were not allowed easy routes to play out from defence and Rovers' disrupted their play, leading to chances from recoveries of loose balls.
They were improved on Saturday, but Rovers have been unable deliver free-flowing attacking performances week in, week out. However, their coordinated and effective press – if it continues in the same vein – will give them attacking opprortunities in every game.
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