‘Three away points should be in the bag if Billy or Ellis keep their form’

If edging past a poor Rotherham side at home a fortnight ago calmed the nerves a bit, then last week’s 3-0 drubbing of Southend at the Mem on Saturday has convinced many that the corner has well and truly been turned.

Phil Brown’s men were nowhere near their best, granted, but that hasn’t stopped Rovers from failing to take chances or defend as a unit so far this season. Saturday, by the sounds of it, was more like the Rovers of last year than the fare we’ve seen in recent months.

Here are a few ‘things we learned’ (in clichéd modern football writing fashion) on Saturday. We discovered that Rory Gaffney has a long throw – the only issue with that being that he’s the guy you want on the end of rocket throw-ins hurtling towards the box.

Also, we learned that for pretty much every game we have left of Billy Bodin’s spell in the quarters (sign the deal, Billy, you know you want to), we’re likely to get another moment of genius like Saturdays opening goal, another entry in his bulging scrapbook. Okay, we probably knew that already, but it’s nice to be reminded. Older fans than I will baulk at this, mentioning names I’ve only read in books and goals only visible on YouTube (or those classic Rovers highlights videos from the 90s), but in my twenty-odd years at Twerton and the Mem, Bodin makes my all-time XI.

Finally, we learned that your correspondent knows absolutely naff-all about predicting football results. Last week, I predicted either a narrow win or a narrow defeat, saying that Rovers weren’t playing well enough lately to take more than a couple of chances. Southend’s goalkeeper stopped the boys from racking up six or seven with an outstanding performance, so I was happy to find out I’d been proven wrong while doing my Christmas shopping.

As we approach the halfway point of the league season, we’re none the wiser in terms of where we’ll be come the Spring. Sure, if we have a run like the nine defeats we’ve just come out of, the season’s well and truly over.

In reality, we probably lack a bit of quality right now to go on a really sustained run and move within reaching distance of the top six. Sure, Ellis Harrison is firing on all cylinders and may well hit the 20 mark this term. Plus, Gaffney is chipping in with hard work and setting up chances, and of course we have the magician that is Bodin.

But if one of those forwards runs out of form, we’ve got the struggling Tom Nichols or the rarely seen Dom Telford to step in, and from what we’ve seen so far, the jury’s out on whether either of them are ready to take the bull by the horns and lead the line.

Bodin, if he goes in January, would leave a gaping hole in the side, creativity wise; far, far worse than the loss of Judas Iscariot the striker who left earlier this year. He’s capable, as we know, of conjuring something out of nothing. If he leaves, he deserves our best wishes, so long as he doesn’t go at 10.30 on deadline day, and doesn’t sign for, y’know, them.

Our defensive fortunes have taken a turn for the better lately; gone, seemingly, are the days of Lockyer and Sweeney acting like strangers, the team not defending as a unit, and sloppy goals being given away. Whether it’s the inclusion of Joe Partington – signed as a right-back – breaking into the ‘Makelele’ role in midfield, or just a rollicking from the boss, things look better. But the issue for me is that the defensive pair are a bit lacking in the organisational qualities needed. Maybe that’s where Partington comes in, but if there’s any money to be spent in January, an experienced centre back should be found.

The only thing I think we can definitely rule out is relegation. These last two home games have shown how poor some sides in this league are, and while the manager states that we’d need to over-achieve to make the promotion mix, it’d be an underachievement of epic proportions to finish in the bottom four from the position we’re in. But, as mentioned, that’s not happening; from December onwards, we’ve been unstoppable at home under Darrell Clarke, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Onto Saturday, and a long, long trip to Gillingham. I’ve never forgiven them an FA Cup Fourth Round tie at their Priestfield home being called off as I entered the ground after a four-hour trek. They’re one of those clubs I’ve got a real grudge against. We all have them.

Petty gripes aside, this is a rarity: a genuinely winnable away game. The Gills haven’t taken maximum points on home turf in three months, even losing to the division’s whipping boys, Northampton. While new manager and club legend Steve Lovell has improved them from the pretty desperate position left by his predecessor, they offer no goal threat other than ex-Gas loanee Tom Eaves, and the home support are likely to turn if Rovers take an early lead.

If Partington plays the holding role in midfield, and either one of Billy or Ellis shows the kind of form we’ve seen from them of late, three away points should be – gasp – in the bag.