‘In a weird way, the Saturday experience won’t quite be the same’

In a footballing sense, Saturday didn’t matter one jot. Of course, it’s nice not to lose, and to see the team still putting in the effort despite it being a dead rubber, but the game looked to have an end-of-season feel to it.

Along with everyone else, your correspondent eulogised the Rovers career of Lee Brown last week, and it was lovely to see him get the kind of send-off his service deserves.

However, as you’ll know, Saturday was the end of another era. Nick Day has been the voice of our football club for as long as I’ve been a part of it. A consummate professional, a dedicated servant to the club and a really nice fella to boot, he’s deserving of a break from the matchday mic but in a weird way the Saturday experience won’t ever be quite the same.

I sincerely hope the club do something to reward him for his loyal and unpaid quarter-century of service; we, like many of our counterparts, have an ex-players association to recognise the achievements of those who have donned the quarters. But a good few people who have given the club great service have never pulled on the shirt, except for maybe a replica.

Institutions like ours survive and thrive thanks to folk like Ray Kendall, Roger Harding and Nick Day. People who go above and beyond the call of duty, for the love of the club. So thank you, Nick.

As per last week, we could preview an absolutely pointless game but that’s no fun. One would imagine that by this time next week, we’ll have some more squad news to chew over, with the retained lists coming out, so I’m going to hand out the coveted (okay, that’s a lie) Bristol 4/7 Rovers’ end-of-season awards:

Success story of the season:

Easy one, this – the new Development Squad. Central League champions in their maiden year, this bunch of talented kids who have, like so many players, fallen down the cracks of the pro game, look like handing us some inexpensive future talent – and a handful of them have broken into the first team, too.

Honourable mention to Ellis Harrison, who split opinion up until the summer. He’s come on leaps and bounds this year and has taken responsibility for leading the line excellently, playing beyond his years in terms of maturity and intelligence.

The bronze medal goes to the off-field staff; Rovers has for some time been continuing to operate in the 20th century, but Tom Gorringe and co. are seeing to that.

Gaping hole of the season:

A big space for a goalscorer next to Ellis. He’s done great to score 14 goals with the strikers he’s had next to him; I don’t think it’s unfair on Mr Gaffney or Mr Nichols to say they will be disappointed with their returns this term. Imagine another 14-15 a season man up top with Ellis? We’d be booking trains to Wembley.

Signing of the season:

Two words: Liam Sercombe. Next question.

Performance of the season:

It’d be easy to go for the 6-0 thumping of Northampton at Sixfields, but that was like a training session and their demoralised players were like cardboard cutouts. I’m going to go with Wolves away: a great effort, in front of a huge away following, to narrowly go down to the runaway second tier champions and a Premier League club in-waiting.

Worst performance of the season:

I wasn’t at Gillingham away, and although I saw the defensive circus that was Bradford away on Sky, I’m going to pip for Wimbledon at home. Don’t get me wrong, the Dons have done well to survive for two seasons in a row after coming up with us (look at Northampton for an example of how not to do it), especially since (one presumes) their budget is very small.

But they’re nothing special; essentially a hard-working, huff-and-puff side in the finest traditions of their club. We should be dispatching sides like that at the Mem, so to be 3-0 down on the hour was a bit ridiculous. That afternoon summed up a winter of discontent in BS7, with the usual rumour mill in full swing thanks to some know-it-all Twitter types as well.

Worst ref of the season:

Step forward John Brooks, who handed Plymouth three home points against us not so long ago with a performance as bad as any we’ve seen since the great Gurnam Singh graced the lower leagues.

Goal of the season:

Ellis, against Milton Keynes. Only because he clearly, clearly didn’t mean it.

Assist of the season:

Tom Nichols, for Liam Sercombe’s goal v Rochdale. Poor old goal-starved Tom was clearly trying to nod Lee Brown’s cross into the net at the near post, but as has been the way this season, the connection was horrible, ballooning into the path of a grateful Sercombe.

Anyhow, one to go, and for once we do know, as Lee Mansell might say, but given where we were before Christmas, a gentle petering out of the season is just fine for once.