Bristol Rovers: Bold call on summer signing can solve Gas issue v Stockport County - View | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor could make shock changes ahead of Stockport with Isaac Hutchinson dropped

Key Takeaways

Bristol Rovers are just two games into their League One campaign and there is cause for optimism following a start which has earned them four points from six against Northampton Town and Rotherham United, who many have tipped to challenge for instant promotion back to the Championship.

Most of the plaudits have been aimed predominantly at the Pirates defensively. Rovers have so far kept two clean sheets in the League, with new signings Bryant Bilongo, Taylor Moore, Clinton Mola, Joel Senior, and goalkeeper Josh Griffiths receiving high acclaim from supporters and reporters alike on their starts at the Gas.

It’s a different story in attack, however, with the Gas midfield and forwards struggling to find their flow after the first two games. In fairness, when they have been able to control possession, they’ve gone forward at pace and with dynamism, using every blade of grass available to them in their opponents' half.

In the opening game against Northampton, the Gas saw a lot of the ball, but there was a familiar huff and puff without that definitive final action. And against Rotherham, Rovers needed to be clinical when they got their chances in a game where they rode their luck and were mostly on the back foot.

Rovers seeking to settle into style change

A touch more composure and creativity in that final third, and if the forwards begin to click as they become more familiar with each other, the Gas could be on to something special this campaign.

Matt Taylor appears to be favouring a formation similar to a 3-4-1-2 with Isaac Hutchinson starting behind two strikers. In the first match, it was Scott Sinclair and Promise Omochere, before Ruel Sotiriou came in for the second game in place of Sinclair – the only change from the opening win against Northampton.

It’s a complete style change for the Gas this season, who in recent campaigns have favoured wide forwards with the likes of Sinclair and Luke Thomas supporting a lone striker. Along with a more intense pressing style, Taylor has changed things up for this season and the Gas are still trying to settle into this style.

The Bristol Rovers attack has still to get going and Taylor may have some tough decisions to make to inspire his team into becoming a side that will remain challenging at the right end of the League One table all the way to May.

This season, Taylor has started with Kamil Conteh and Grant Ward in central midfield. Conteh in particular has looked a stronger presence on the pitch so far this term.

Most of the creativity, however, has to come from the likes of Thomas and Hutchinson. With Thomas always looking likely to cause trouble, Hutchinson is yet to make a mark.

The new signing was the first through the gates at the Memorial Stadium this summer - signed from League Two side Walsall - and the 24-year-old was perhaps unfairly tagged as the replacement for last season's Player of the Year Antony Evans who, as expected, would leave the club for Huddersfield Town.

Hutchinson is yet to properly announce his arrival in League One after just two appearances, but is, of course, still in the very early days of his Bristol Rovers career. Unfortunately, in an unforgiving business like football, you don't get too much time to settle.

McCormick one of several staking claims for positions

Luke McCormick started pre-season with a run of good performances and has continued to look good when he's featured since the season's commencement. That consistency has made him one of the few Rovers attackers to stand out, albeit also falling guilty of needing more composure on that final play.

Taylor has a degree of richness in the attackers he can choose from, with another new signing, Micah Anthony, displaying signs of great promise in his brief outing so far and central midfielder Jake Garrett also knocking on the manager's door for a place in a competitive midfield.

And after his impressive pre-season followed by two standout performances in both the League Cup and the EFL Trophy, manager Taylor has spoken of Kofi Shaw now being in contention for a start against early pace-setters Stockport County on Saturday lunchtime.

In a side that could include a number of changes, and although new midfielder Hutchinson grabbed his first goal for Rovers in the midweek EFL Trophy clash against Spurs U21’s, Bristol Taylor may have to make a bold choice on whether to drop his new star signing and to give opportunities to those demonstrating stronger cases to be in that starting lineup in order to get the Gas cooking up front.