BRISTOL ROVERS BLOG: Frankie Prince's Bovver Boots - Tayls of the unexpected
By The Bristol Post | Posted: November 20, 2015
Matty Taylor
Matty Taylor
JUST when you thought Bristol Rovers couldn't buy a goal at home, two come along at once.
Matty Taylor's double strike against Carlisle earned the Gas their first home league win since August and pushed us up to the heady heights of eighth in the League table.
It must have been a huge relief to Darrell Clarke, not least because the clamour for him to bolster his forward line has reached fever pitch over recent weeks.
The regular mantra I've been hearing goes something like this. "We're in the bottom six when it comes to scoring goals". "We're toothless up front which is putting more pressure on the defence". "We've got exactly the same goalscoring problem we had when we were relegated". "We need someone who can score 20 goals a season".
In answer to the last of those questions: Who doesn't? Nottingham Forest fans have been saying the same about their team for months, and the reason Sheffield United have spent so long in the bottom two divisions is they haven't been able to replace Ched Evans, a 20-goals-a-season striker who was convicted of rape and ended up in jail. Even Portsmouth, nailed odds-on favourites for promotion at the start of the season, are struggling to pierce defences at home.
One of the players who splits opinion at the Mem is Taylor. I must admit I had my doubts whether he might be able to reproduce his scoring exploits of last season at a level where defences are better and chances fewer.
In the first few games he took a while finding his feet, but in recent weeks I don't think anyone can have cause for complaint.
Taylor may miss a few chances, but I think his striker's instinct gets him into the right places which, according to more seasoned frontmen, is half the battle. If he can improve his goals-to-opportunities ratio we may already have our 20-goals-a-season man.
Darrell Clarke seems to think so. After the Carlisle game he inferred Taylor was the best striker in the division.
Some Rovers fans probably had a chuckle at that remark given the fact in some games Taylor's misses have cost points, especially at home.
But is it as daft as it sounds? At Cambridge it was Taylor's introduction that turned a potential defeat into a terrific away win.
Within three minutes he had shrugged off three defenders and, though it looked like he might have been forced too wide, he still managed to conjure up a shot on target that the keeper fumbled, giving Ellis Harrison an easy chance on the rebound.
He then capitalised on a terrible back pass to confidently round the keeper and score the winner. It's safe to say his introduction was the difference, even though up front Cambridge had Barry Corr, a prolific striker at this level.
Then you see the first goal against Carlisle and only have to applaud his quick thinking, workrate and the fact he will bust a gut to get into a scoring position.
He was in his own half when he flicked the ball to Stuart Sinclair then hared in the direction of the visitors goal. The ball was then passed on from Billy Bodin to Chris Lines, for Taylor to latch on to the cross having sprinted 50 yards to get there.
His winning goal, another individual effort, was the icing on the cake and if ever there was a doubt about his ability to perform at this level, the last two league games should have ended the debate.
Taylor is a striker who is in a red-hot vein of form, enjoying his football and causing defences problems.
I'm not so worried about bringing in a striker now. With bigger clubs desperate to find that magic formula the problem could be holding on to the one we've got in January.
Read more: www.bristolpost.co.uk/FECKINUSELESSPOPUPPIECEOFCRAPOFAONCEDECENTRAG/story-28207263-detail/story.html#ixzz3s1EdMzjg Follow us: @bristolpost on Twitter | bristolpost on Facebook
