Gas Gossip: Ward;s Rovers battle to the end (From Gazette Series)

Bristol Rovers fans' panel: Reaction to draw at Morecambe and defeat at Northampton

7:00am Friday 1st March 2013 in Sport By Jeff Bolitho

ROVERS had a mixed week of fortunes, earning a creditable point at Morecambe on Saturday but suffering a midweek defeat at Northampton.

After going a goal behind early on in the match at Morecambe, heads could have dropped and we could have struggled to respond positively to the setback.

But this Rovers team under Ward battles to the end and gained their reward when Eliot Richards headed in the equaliser.

He could have won it for the Gas after being put through with just the keeper to beat, but Morecambe also had chances so a draw was a fair result.

Considering we were missing the influential Brunt to injury, who has been a matchwinner in recent weeks, the combination of Richards and Hitchcock showed we can be versatile by changing our system and formation to cope with any absences.

The result was also a good response to the defeat by Rotherham the previous Tuesday, showing the players were determined to get that loss out of their system by battling for a point.

The draw kept confidence and spirits high going into Tuesday’s encounter with Northampton Town, another in-form team chasing promotion.

Rovers were unlucky to concede a late goal to lose the contest 1-0 after another spirited performance.

Our six-game unbeaten run away from home has now come to an end but there was no sign on Tuesday that heads are dropping.

News that Seanan Clucas has been ruled out for nine months with a cruciate ligament injury is a blow and our thoughts go out to the young midfielder.

His no-nonsense style has been a key part of our resurgence under Ward and he will be missed.

Rovers return to the Memorial Stadium on Saturday as we entertain high-flying Burton Albion.

The gap between us and the bottom two has narrowed to just three points after Tuesday’s results, showing there is still much work to be done before we can start thinking about safety.

The Pirates will have to be at their best to beat the Brewers but there is no reason why that cannot be achieved in front of what should be another large home crowd.

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