Gas Gossip: We wish we still had a player like Rickie Lambert (From Gazette Series)

Bristol Rovers fans’ panel by Jeff Bolitho

9:51am Thursday 15th April 2010 in Sport

ROVERS’ play-off hopes were finally extinguished on Tuesday night after they were totally outplayed and outclassed by a rampant Southampton.

The opening half an hour was one of the most entertaining seen at the Memorial Stadium this season, as chances at either end made for a thrilling spectacle.

The Pirates got their noses in front thanks to a Jeff Hughes penalty, but the Saints pulled one back through ex-Gas striker Rickie Lambert.

A 1-1 half-time scoreline would have been a fair reflection on the opening 45 minutes but as Lambert stepped up to take a 30 yard free kick a few minutes before half-time, many Gasheads feared the inevitable outcome. Sure enough he struck it with his usual ferocity and although Andersen may have done better to keep it out, the deadly marksman had given Southampton the lead.

That highlighted the difference between the two sides - they had a £1million striker and we had failed to replace ours after selling him. Nonetheless we felt that a one goal deficit could be addressed as the second half began, but an early injury to Steve Elliott meant the back four had to be reshuffled which unsettled us.

The Saints then began to heap misery on our hapless defence, firstly with a blistering 25-yard effort to make the score 3-1 and effectively kill the game off.

An incisive display of attacking football then followed that we simply had no answer to and fans just wished for the end as the score reached 5-1.

Although Southampton produced an irresistible display, Rovers seemed to crumble after their third went in and the lack of options from the bench showed the inadequacies of our squad. Gasheads still gave Lambert an excellent ovation as he was substituted and his decision not to celebrate his goals was appreciated by the home fans, who still wish we had a player like him.

Another below-par performance in Saturday’s defeat at Oldham showed much work needs to be done to improve the squad for next season.

As disconsolate Gasheads trudged out of the Mem and an icy wind blew into Gloucester Road, we were left to rue a season of missed opportunity.

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