Post by bluecamel on May 5, 2016 7:28:58 GMT
Why back to back promotions for Bristol Rovers would be just the start
Rewind to May 2014. Bristol Rovers, one of the Football League’s longest standing members in their 94th consecutive year, were relegated.
The penultimate game of that season was euphoric, as Rovers defeated Wycombe 2-1 away from home to mean that all they had to do on the final day was draw with mid-table Mansfield and they would be safe, they could even lose and survive provided Wycombe failed to win.
The fairy-tale survival was not to be as recently appointed Darren Clarke and his men were booed off the field after a 1-0 home defeat whilst Wycombe put three past bottom side Torquay without reply, sending the Gas down to the Conference National League.
A look at the plight of the four sides involved in that relegation battle speaks volumes. Northampton, alongside Wycombe, secured survival on the final day and are now convincingly League 2 champions despite financial difficulties. Wycombe themselves narrowly missed out on promotion last season after Southend’s injury time of extra time equaliser and penalty victory in the play-off final. Torquay have just narrowly survived relegation from the Conference, which would have sent them to the Conference National South, and with a very high risk that the club would face administration in the coming seasons.
Meanwhile, the other team from the South-West are showing exactly how it should be done. Just one point behind early leaders Oxford United in the final automatic promotion spot in League 2 going into the last game of the season, Rovers will be hoping that they can win a tie which is seemingly easy to win on paper, against already relegated Dagenham & Redbridge, whilst Oxford face a stronger side in Wycombe.
Just a year ago, the club was in a similar situation fighting for promotion to return to the Football League at the first time of asking. With bumper crowds and away followings, Bristol Rovers were far too big a club for non-league, but it took penalty kicks to defy Grimsby in a hard fought play-off final at Wembley. Arguably the key moment of last season for the Gas was the signing of Matty Taylor. The 26 year old striker had spent his career in non-league, at the likes of Forest Green Rovers and Chester, but has fired Bristol Rovers to promotion once and a challenge again this season, having scored 40 goals in 84 games, including 13 in his last 13 games.
The striker was one of many excellent acquisitions by Darrell Clarke as he rebuilt a squad ready for promotion back to the league, and has maintained the core of that squad as they have proved competitive again this season. The likes of Stuart Sinclair, Jake Gosling and Lee Mansell had experience and quality which has quickly seen them become crowd favourites and helped them push on. With this season’s additions of the likes of Chris Lines, Clarke has added League experience and depth to a squad which has proven to be of a higher quality than the rather more expensive side which previously featured players of the calibration of Peterborough’s Michael Smith and Northampton’s John-Joe O’Toole.
The biggest news this season has come off the field, with the club’s plans to move into a new stadium being delayed due to legal battles with Sainsbury’s, and the takeover of the club by Jordanian Al-Qadi family who founded the Arab Jordan Investment Bank and bring far more money into the club than previous owner and local businessman Nick Higgs. Alongside new chairman Steven Hamer, previously at Swansea City, the new owners have ambitious plans for the club whilst retaining the home grown and local nature of the club, promising to invest in youth development and transfers, as well as off the field development of the club.
That makes a promotion challenge this season of more importance than ever, which could really spark life into the new ownership and investment to help the club build on back to back promotions to consolidate. It’d be the first return to League One since the club’s relegation in 2011, and would give them a chance to return to the Championship after 23 years away from the second highest level of English football.
With a squad rich in quality, perhaps the only criticism can be that it is not the youngest. Goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall will be 37 this month, whilst captain Mark McChrystal, and both vice-captains in Lee Mansell and Chris Lines are all over 30 and will soon be beyond their best. The worry will be that failure to gain promotion now will require strengthening of the squad in order to compete again next season.
Whilst the club has a quality core and off the field support, led by one of the most respected young managers in the Football League, promotion this season would provide a massive platform for long term success for the Gas which would help them to compete with their neighbours and biggest rivals, Bristol City. As the Robins establish themselves in the Championship with an expanded stadium, Rovers must remember that failure to secure promotion, whilst disappointing after a superb season, there is already a basis for further success, and promotion this season would speed up the process of what looks like inevitable success if they can retain their key staff and players over the summer.
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