ROVERS produced a scintillating performance that was high on entertainment and quality to beat Barnet 3-1 at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

The Gas set a high tempo right from the start as they put the visitors under pressure and it paid off as early as the second minute.

A routine practised on the training ground saw Chris Lines pick out Lee Brown from a corner and his low shot from 30 yards found the bottom corner of the net.

It was the best possible start that left the Bees shell-shocked as Rovers dominated the midfield, played some enterprising football and looked a threat every time we went forward.

Rovers went into the break leading 1-0 as although we had been by far the better side, we were unable to add to our lead.

The only disappointment was the cruel injury suffered by the impressive Leadbitter, who pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring strain. He has excelled in the wing-back role, so hopefully it will not keep him out of action for too long.

We expected a tough game in the second half with Barnet coming out all guns blazing, but we maintained our superiority.

Every player had a fine game and we looked strong in all departments. Defensively we looked solid, and Lines, Clarke and Sinclair all dominated their opponents in midfield. Gosling also had a fine game and ensured that we did not miss Leadbitter too much.

Harrison performed well up front, despite being on the end of some robust Barnet challenges, and although there is still more to come from Easter, he finished well to give Rovers a 2-0 advantage in the 77th minute.

The Bees pulled a goal back soon after but Taylor’s clinical finish after fine work by Lines sealed an emphatic win to move the Pirates up to fourth in the table.

A brilliant all-round team display was a pleasure to watch and has given Gasheads plenty of hope for this season.

Our excellent away record will be put to the test on Saturday as we travel to table-topping Leyton Orient.