Joey Barton has confirmed that captain Paul Coutts has sustained an ankle injury and will miss Bristol Rovers’ League One encounter with Plymouth Argyle at the Mem.
Coutts was arguably Rovers’ man of the match in their 4-1 win at Cheltenham Town last Saturday and was named among the substitutes for the 3-0 EFL Trophy victory over Swindon but rolled his ankle in training.
Coutts was replaced by Harry Anderson in the Gas starting XI against Argyle with Barton making one other change as Luca Hoole returned at right-back in place of James Gibbons.
“Yeah, he just rocked his ankle in training so we’ve had an enforced change in that regard but hopefully he’s back available soon, but it takes him out of today’s game," Barton told BBC Radio Bristol.
As expected, Barton elected not to hand Scott Sinclair what would have been his first ever start for the club after returning in midweek on a free transfer with the 33-year-old named among the substitutes.
Sinclair signed on a short-term contract until January having made his debut for the Gas in December 2004 as a 15-year-old but his two outings for his boyhood club, before he departed for Chelsea, were both off the substitutes’ bench.
“Just a little tweak we’re playing top of the table at home," Barton added. "We just wanted to tweak it a bit tactically and one was enforced with Coutts' injury meant we had to shuffle it a little bit.
"Obviously Harry has been a big player in my time here he’s played multiple positions and he gets his opportunity today to play in what is probably his natural position.”
Bristol Rovers vs Plymouth (4-3-3): Belshaw; Hoole, Thomas, Gibson, Gordon; Evans, Finley, Rossiter; Anderson, Loft, Collins; Substitutes: Jaakkola, Clarke, Gibbons, Sinclair, Saunders, McCormick, Coburn
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