It may seem that Bristol Rovers have little to play for in the final nine games of the League One season besides from accumulating a few more points to make sure of their place in the division for next year, but Joey Barton and his players' performances in the run-in will play a deciding role elsewhere.
A glance at Rovers' fixture list between now and the final day on May 7 shows a schedule backloaded with some of the toughest tests saved for last. Five of the top seven are left to be played and 16th-placed Port Vale – one spot below the Gas – are the only team beneath them in the table left to face.
Such difficult assignments on paper, including top two Plymouth Argyle and Sheffield Wednesday, coupled with a pair of disappointing results at home to Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth before an unusual 20-day hiatus, have left some Gasheads fearful of where the next points will come from with third-tier status not fully secure in their grasp.
But three games in the space of four days have encapsulated the unpredictability of this division. Most punters would have had the Owls nailed on for back-to-back wins from a double-header in Gloucestershire against Forest Green Rovers (24th) and Cheltenham Town (17th) on Sunday and Wednesday, but they returned to Yorkshire with a single point by virtue of a late equaliser after falling 2-0 down at Whaddon Road on Wednesday night.
Sandwiched between those games was a trip to Exeter City for fourth-placed Barnsley, who were handy favourites at St James Park but were comfortably seen off in a 3-1 defeat against a side that is destined for a comfortable mid-table finish.
With April almost upon us, it is the time of the season when nerves become a factor; composure and confidence wane as the finishing line comes into view, particularly with little to separate the top four and the three teams vying for the final two playoff spots.
"We've always said it'll be nip and tuck," Wednesday manager Darren Moore told Yorkshire Live after drawing with Cheltenham. "We're in the mix and we now. There's a lot of football still to be played and that's against all sorts of teams with something to play for."
Barnsley boss Michael Duff spoke of a reality check after getting turned over at Exeter, ending a long unbeaten run. "It might be the warning shot we needed," he told the Barnsley Chronicle. "We might not be the team we thought."
The stakes are high and strange things will start to happen, and although it was not the way they would have intended, the Gas are wrapped up in the promotion battle until the end of the season.
Barton spoke with frustration in his final press conference before the Gas paused for the international break, which has been extended due to Plymouth's participation in the Papa John's Trophy final at Wembley this weekend. The manager was longing for the end of the season.
"I'll level with you, I wish it was the end of the season,” Barton said in the wake of the 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth on March 18. “We can’t really get promoted, it doesn’t look like we’re going to get in the relegation battle. I’ve just got to the point where you want to set the targets for next year. There’s nothing worse with nothing to play for with nine games to go."
Well, if Barton is short of motivation – which is hard to believe given his fierce competitive streak, which has doubtless been renewed by a pause from the grind and a family getaway to Dubai – surely the role of party-poopers or king-makers is something he would relish?
A poor run of form at the start of the year dragged the Gas out of play-off contention and it the changing narrative from dark horses to also-rans will certainly have pained him, but Rovers still hold a say in who wins the promotion race.
Next up for the Gas are duels with mid-table sides Charlton Athletic and Fleetwood Town over Easter before back-to-back games at the Mem against Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday – two matches that will have serious ramifications in the race for automatic promotion and the top six, particularly if the Gas can upset the odds.
And in the final fortnight of the campaign, Plymouth, Peterborough United and Bolton Wanderers will all be desperate for points in pursuit of their goals. Shrewsbury Town, though, may have just slipped out of contention after defeat drifting nine points back, albeit with a game in hand.
Rovers, of course, still have a job to do to ensure relegation-threatened Accrington Stanley and Morecambe cannot catch them by the end of the 46th game, but they have to believe they have more to play for than that.
For the sake of next season and the summer's recruitment – a higher league finish will make the Mem a more appealing destination for prospective signings – the Gas owe themselves more than quietly limping over the line. Barton will want them to create as much noise and chaos for League One's hopefuls as possible.
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