Player Ratings: Bristol Rovers vs Alfreton Town

Puddy. 6 . Nothing to do apart from 1 save.

Lockyer 6. Did his job. That was enough.
Mc Crystal 6. Ditto
Parkes 7. Comfortable on the ball. Good goal.
Brown 7 Always dangerous when attacking.

Gosling 8.5. A great game m.o.m. super goal
Mansell 8 Worked his socks off deserved his goal.
Lines 8. Quality. Quality .Quality.
Monkhouse 8. His best game of the season.

Harrison 7. Started the scoring. Not at his best today.
Taylor. 7. Two chances. Two goals. Thats what we have needed all season.


Subs. Balanta 5. Missed a couple of chances.
Leadbitter. 7 why this boy us not first choice right back is a joke.
Clarke 5. Didnt do much.

Oops my mistake. Gosling got the opener

Puddy 6
Lockyer 6
McChrystal 7
Parkes 7
Brown 8
Gosling 8
Lines 8
Mansell 8
Monkhouse 8
Taylor 7
Harrison 7

Balanta 6
Clarke 6
Leadbitter 7

DC 8
Ref 9 Was told before the game he was an excellent young Ref. By far and away the best we have had this season
Alfreton. 3. Tried their best, but overun by our new found enthusiasm to fight for the ball.
I only hope we approach the play offs in the same "get at em" and play football attitude. If we do that Danny Coles will not know what hit him!

Puddy 7 will have been understandably nervous after Dover but Alf did not exploit that - not able to win a corner till midway in second half and no high balls into the box. Consequently Will looked secure and grew in confidence with both his shot stopping and his distribution as the game progressed.

Lockyer 7 only one of the defence to be truly tested in the first half as he came up against a left winger worthy of the name, rode out the storm and started to impose his own game on them including passing and moving at a higher standard than he's been achieving of late.
McChrystal 7 solid in the first half and although detective Ironside and the Messiah had more success in the second period we were still largely untroubled at the back. Probably the slowest overlapping winger I've ever seen but still put in a decent cross when allowed to!
Parkes 8 broke up attacks, chewed them up and spat them out in a towering first half, blossomed into a marauding raider in the second half including a beautifully worked, icing on the cake, wrap up goal.
Brown 8 alf had nothing on their right which gave Lee licence to plunder the left channel, cross after cross resulted and a couple of decent long range potshots also ensued. Think he racked up a hat- trick of assists.

Gosling 8.5 what a difference a goal makes! An understandably faltering and rusty start settled down into his best home performance of the season. Showed us what he can do when the crowd get behind him (and the opposition melt in front of him). My MOTM - He's the man in possession of the shirt right now and rightly so.
Mansell 8 thought we set the midfield line too deep to start with (almost on top of the defence) Manse noticed that and waved the unit up the pitch, tigerishly tackling their weak centre pairing soon paid dividends and we soon got a lot of ball to recycle. Glad he fulfilled my pre match prediction that he would get on the scoresheet!
Lines 8.5 dead ball delivery was quality, ball retention was exemplary, foraging runs were telling...especially for our third goal. Shame he did not find the net himself otherwise he would have pipped Gosling to the MOTM award in my book, as it is he receives the same rating.
Monkhouse 8 completing a quartet of quality midfield performances Monky worked the left wing and inside channel with Browner superbly. Would have been greedy to ask that his long ranger in the first half found the back of the net rather than his sprint and tap in to the empty net with the Alfreton forces lying on the ground out for the count but I'm sure any way to secure a double figures goals tally for the season is alright by him!

Harrison 7 turned Alf's defence inside out bundling home the second to boot, withdrawn as a precaution on the hour mark with the job done.
Taylor 7.5 as different from his inept Dover performance as you could get. This time Taylor buzzed around the hapless Alfreton statues like an imperious wasp, linking with Gosling here, then with Harrison, Brown or Monky there, repeatedly stinging the back four with his probing inroads until they cracked open just before and after half time as he loosened what shackles there were to finish off their lingering hopes of a fight back.

Balanta 6.5 missed a sitter but showed just how he can be a puppet master in a central role bringing different forces into play with his trickery and distribution. Would be great if he's coming into form in time for the play offs.
Clarke 6.5 job was already done when he came on but he too retained the ball and maintained the forward momentum.
Leadbitter 7 just when they thought they were going to get away with a four nil we bring on our fastest "righty" to blow that side wide open too. Linked up instantly with the on fire Gosling and got in some good crosses and shots. A decent cameo from Leads in the closing stages.

Crowd 10 lots of singing from both sets of fans and apart from five minutes of tense aggro it was good natured and respectful.
DC 10 not sure many Gasheads would have gone with Gosling from the start but it was an inspired choice and he sent them out determined to play the football we love to see....more please!
Ref 7 after the disallowed goal for Ellis and the supposed powder puff foul by Taylor in the first half, I was wishing we had this ref at Dover...there is no way he would have allowed their equaliser! He proved conference refs can be decisive, know the rules and keep their cards in their pockets....and since he has presided over two other Gas victories (Lincoln away and Aldershot at home) I'd like him to referee all our remaining matches in the play offs please!!
Alfreton 3, reading between the lines it sounds like they had better players available that their manager did not pick. Certainly in the first half only the left winger made a positive impression on me..after the break the two subs up front made a difference but by then the horse had bolted. Judging by the number of crosses, headers and long shots we peppered their keeper with we had worked out his strengths were kick outs and time wasting but to be fair he was a rabbit in the headlights as his defence either went AWOL or stood still and watched.

Puddy 6 - Watched the game like an absolute boss.

Lockyer 6 - Solid. Did what he had to well.
McChrystal 7 - Gets an extra couple of marks for that cross in the 2nd half.
Parkes 7 - Brought the ball out from defence well and got attacks going. Great play for his goal and could have had 2 more.
Brown 8 - Excellent. Defended well and got forward brilliantly down the left. 3 assists?

Gosling 8 - Best game I've seen from him since Torquay away and a worldie of a goal.
Mansell 8 - Battled tirelessly in the middle, broke up attacks and a good header.
Lines 8 - All that was missing was a goal. Classy on the ball and one excellent burst down the right wing to assist Taylor's first.
Monkhouse 7 - Won't get an easier goal than that! Quieter than the rest of the midfield, but a good performance.

Taylor 8 - Two goals. Awesome leap for the second.
Harrison 7 - Not as good as he has been in previous weeks, but what goalscoring form he's in. Not sure he knew much about this one though...

Subs: Balanta 6 - Looked far better as a striker than I've ever seen him play out wide. What a miss.
Leadbitter
Clarke N/A

DC 10 - What more can you ask for? 7-0.
Ref 9 - Didnt really notice him, so must have been good.
Alfreton 2 - Awful defence and awful attack.

Puddy- 7 - largely a spectator but made one decent save and his kicking was much improved

Lockyer- 7 - solid enough and defended well

McChrystal- 7.5 - win everything in the air and great assist for the 4th goal

Parkes- 8- deserved his goal, pushes forward to great affect and led the team well

Brown- 8- much more affective in a 4-4-2 with monkhouse to play off.

Gosling- 9(MOTM) - thought he did brilliantly, looked a constant threat and scores a fantastic goal

Mansell- 8- best game for a while, did the simple things well

Lines- 8.5- another good display and another couple of assists

Monkhouse- 7.5- linked up well with brown and got a goal

Taylor- 8.5- usual busy performance capped with two goals

Harrison- 7.5- can't recall Ellis getting many chances, but did get his name on the scoresheet with a hint of luck!

Subs: Balanta- 5- I felt sorry for him, should have scored at least one, clumsy at best

Leadbitter-6.5 electric pace, a fantastic late cameo

Clarke- never really had time to impact the game

DC- 9- performance of the season, did what we had to do
Ref-7- best of the season
Alfreton- 1 -offered absolutely no threat whatsoever

Puddy 7 Calm and assured.Didn't have a lot to do apart from one very good save but didn't appear to be affected by the goal last week. Distribution was very good throughout.


Lockyer 7 Solid game against a quick opponent who looked very dangerous early on. Tom wore his opponent down and defended very well and even managed to supply Gosling with some decent possession. I'm still not convinced that he is a better option to the more athletic Leadbitter but he is probably stronger in the tackle and a more solid defender overall and of coursde defending is his number 1 priority.


McChrystal 6.5 A solid performance from the skipper and it was certainly a rare sight to see him set up a goal however there were a couple of shaky moments where he allowed the ball to bounce and better opponents could have exploited this.

Parkes 8 Scored a goal and could have had more with more productive headers. Strong in the tackle and on many occasions brought the ball out in a composed performance.


Brown 8 Three assists, two long range shots just wide of target and a number of other good crosses adds up to probably Lee's best performance of the season.


Gosling 8.5 MOM A peach of a goal that set us on the way to a goal feast. Clever on the ball and was always willing to take on his opponent.His best game by far since Torquay away and must now be a definite starter for the Play offs with instruction for more of the same from the Manager. Could be a key player in the remainder of the matches (hopefully three!!)

Mansell 7.5 In the first twenty minutes it didn't look like it was going to be Manse's day as he gave the ball away far too frequently however he seemed to grow into the game and then became his normal self,winning tackles and controlling the midfield area being the perfect foil to the impressively creative Lines. still think he should have been Captain this season as he leads by example and drives the team forward. Well deserved goal capped a tigerish performance.

Lines 8.5 Lines is quality and looked and was a class above any of Alfretons midfield. His ability to run at opponents with the ball at his feet and spread the ball both short and long with accuracy gives the team something we have been lacking for a longtime. His deadball delivery is of at least League 1 class and his work in setting up Taylors first showed everything that is good about Chris Lines. The only thing his game lacked was a goal. He may be costing us an arm and a leg but it will be well worth it if it leads us back into the League.He should make a big difference in the Play offs to what we had when we played Forest Green in the league and hopefully we will see a goal or two before the season concludes.

Monkhouse 7.5 I remain convinced that Monkhouse is far better when he drifts inside which he did yesterday frequently and still managed to do his customary set ups for Lee Brown. For a midfielder Monky chips in with a lot of goals and his heading ability has proved very useful this season. His goal yesterday won't be winning any quality goals competition but again showed the importance of getting himself in the right place at the right time.


Harrison 7 Not as effective as in most games recently but still showed a strikers instinct with his goal and did cause the Alfreton defence problems with his skill and pace.

Taylor 7.5 Two good strikers headed goals and back to his best he played a very important role in this game with his intelligent linking and probing sometimes on the left and sometimes on the right
but always leading the opponents defence a merry dance.


Balanta 7 I would totally disagree with marks of 3 that some have given him for yesterdays short but effective performance. This included a moment of absolutely magic footwork when bringing the ball away wide on the halfway line. His finishing was poor because in his short appearance he could have ended up with a hat trick but aside of that he showed that he possesses a lot of skill and the ability to make clever passes and also the ability to bring in other players.Personally I think he could do a great job in the hole similar to how Alan Gow was playing in the few games he played for us last season.

Clarke 6.5 Wouldn't usually mark a player for so short a time but i felt he worked very hard when he was on the pitch and made a couple of strong runs and showed that he is an able squad player.

Leadbitter 7 Really influenced the game down the right side when he came on and showed a willingness and no mean ability to stride forward and put the defence under pressure. With him and the on fire Gosling running at them the Alfreton defenders didn't really know if they were coming or going although they probably wished they were going........home!!


Supporters 9 What an attendance ..a Conference record (they must be praying we get to The Play Off final and lose!!!) and the best atmosphere for a long time. How great it was to come up the Gloucester Road before the game and see the pubs spilling out into masses on the street. Oh to see that sight every week. Goodnight Irene was deafening and well done too to the 97 who did their best to compete and gave far more than their team deserved. I would have given a 10 but for the disrespectful chants of "Going Down". We more than most should have known how that felt.

DC 10 Set the team up to attack and go at the opponents from the start. please,please lets do more of the same at this crucialo stage of proceedings. We have better players than any other team in this League so let's go out and impose ourselves from the off.

Ref 9 The best referee we have had this season by an absolute Country mile and young enough i would think to move up the Leagues. "Can we have him every week" would be an appropriate song it is sad to say that had we had him at Dover last week we would now already have regained our League status.

Alfreton 3 We could almost have caught up Barnet's Goal Difference in this game as 7-0 certainly didn't flatter us and 10-0 probably wouldn't have flattered us either such was the difference in class.Could really see why they were relegated.

Puddy  6 Nothing to do.


Lockyer 5  Defensively good but can't attack or pass.
McChrystal 7 Good game as usual.
Parkes 8 Superb.
Brown 7 Got forward well and distribution much better.


Gosling 8.5 Great goal and very good performance.
Mansell 7 Did a lot of the dirty work.
Lines 8 Class
Monkhouse 7.5 Put in a good shift.


Taylor 8 Very good again.
Harrison 7 Good link up play.


Subs: Balanta 5 Disappointing.
Leadbitter 7.5 Really should be starting games,he is too good to leave out.
Clarke 5


DC 9  Well done DC.
Ref 8 Best yet.
Alfreton 2 They looked like they had all been on the p1ss the night before. Awful.

Puddy 6.5 confident with the work he had to do today,1 very good save.

Lockyer 7 played well,passing was better as well.
McChrystal 7 untroubled and popped up with a great cross for the 4th goal.
Parkes 8.5 Excellent all round performance topped with a quality goal at the death.Problem is he won't be here next season if we fail to go up.
Brown 8 great display from our left winger,some lovely interplay 2nd half.

Gosling 7.5 Best and most confident display I've seen from him.
Mansell 7.5 Has to cover a lot more ground without the beard in the side and did it very well today,nice header for his goal.
Lines 8.5 Class,pace and composure,were a different side with him playing.
Monkhouse 7 played a full part in a superb team effort plus a goal.

Taylor 8 Two well taken goals and looked quality today.Just 3 players have scored more goals than him in the conference this season now.
Harrison 6.5 Not really involved that much but still got his now obligatory goal.

Subs: Balanta 6.5 Genuinely feel sorry for the lad,great footballing brain but doesn't look like his body is up to it at the moment.Found acres of space in comparison to Ellis but maybe because alfreton tired badly/totally gave up the ghost towards the end.
Leadbitter 7 Like Brown played virtually as a winger and had way to much pace for the Alfreton defence.the new smudge imo.
Clarke 6 Got stuck in well in his short time on the field.

DC 10 How can you fault him after all 4 forward starters scored and we win 7 zip.
Ref 7 Never noticed him which is a sign of a good reffing performance.
Alfreton 1 Just for turning up.Cant recall a single hoof forwards by us after we went ahead,none in the 2nd half for sure and that evidently shows that they never closed us down at all which is a basic requirement in any form of football.Lazy and inexcusable and felt sorry for their fans in the end.Made us look good though and I bet the Sabadell fans thought we were fecking barca.