Joey Barton admits he was surprised by the quality Ryan Loft showed to open the scoring for Bristol Rovers on Tuesday. The striker came off the bench at half time and scored the first goal in 3-0 EFL Trophy win over nine-man Swindon Town at the Mem, making it five straight wins for the Gas.
But it was the style with which the 25-year-old took the chance that was so eye-catching. After being played in on goal by Sylvester Jasper, Loft scored his sixth of the season by lifting the ball over onrushing goalkeeper Sol Brynn.
After a slow start to his Rovers career, Loft has become a real asset for his manager. Not only is the £50,000 January signing from Scunthorpe United contributing a goal threat, but he is an uncomfortable matchup for opposition defenders with his strength and hard running, showing exactly that by winning the match-defining penalty at MK Dons last week.
After scoring just once in his first 13 appearances for the Gas, he has six goals and an assist in 17 games this term. Barton believes the striker is reaping the rewards of the hard graft he put in over the summer, but the manager admitted he did not believe Loft had that kind of flair in his locker.
"It was a really good finish from Lofty," Barton said. "He looks like a striker full of confidence but I didn’t know he had that in the repertoire, that little dink, so I’m really pleased for him. A lot of credit goes to Lofty. He’s had a tough spell at the back end of last season.
"He came and did really well against Swindon away from home and I thought he was a really good player. Then the Scunthorpe away game, he had a little bit of an injury and he just lost his momentum from there and other players in the team grabbed it. Aaron Collins went on a scoring run and Elliot Anderson emerged and the rest is history.
"Barring that Port Vale moment for him, he didn’t get in the goals, but I remember his contribution when he came on against Rochdale away and if we hadn’t have brought Lofty on, I think his presence in that last 10 or 15 minutes certainly gave us a battering ram up front.
"He’s come back for pre-season after grafting away in the off-season and he’s a credit to his profession. Credit to him, he’s worked tirelessly.
"It’s a strange game, football. If you’re working hard and doing everything right, good things happen for you, so I’m really pleased for the big man. He, Aaron Collins and young Josh Coburn tapped on to John Marquis and Harvey Saunders have given us some nice options up there."
With the arrival of Scott Sinclair confirmed on Tuesday, Barton has enviable depth to his attacking options for Saturday's game against League One leaders Plymouth Argyle. The former Celtic and Manchester City forward joins Loft, Aaron Collins, Josh Coburn and Harvey Saunders in the striking ranks.
Sinclair may need a bit of time to reach 90-minute fitness with his last appearance coming in April, but Barton believes he is ready to contribute after being impressed by his efforts so far at The Quarters. And with John Marquis hopefully back from a knee injury sooner rather than later, Barton has plenty of attacking variety at his disposal for the weeks and months ahead.
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