SOME fears were expressed by Rovers fans in the build-up to the fixture at MK Dons on Saturday that it would be foolhardy to go ahead with the game amid travel warnings caused by snow and ice.

But, by 5pm, those thoughts had been forgotten as more than 700 travelling fans who had braved the conditions were rewarded with an excellent 1-0 away win.

The starting line-up contained a shock debut for 18-year-old Luke Russe, who showed confidence beyond his years with an assured performance.

The Gas took full advantage of a poor MK Dons side who look like they are heading for League Two.

We dominated large spells and gained a richly deserved victory thanks to another Ellis Harrison goal.

He broke the deadlock in the 50th minute with a brilliant left footed strike from out wide that sailed over the opposition goalkeeper – but whether it was meant as a cross only he knows.

Aside from one excellent save from Slocombe, who manager Darrell Clarke restored to the starting line-up, Rovers were rarely troubled.

The return of James Clarke from the subs’ bench shows the strength in depth we now have, while the return to form of Byron Moore can only help.

We switched to a back five after the goal, with Lockyer pushed into a defensive midfield role.

The victory lifted us into tenth place, just four points off the play-offs, as the majority of games in the division were called off.

With 11 games left we probably need to win seven or eight of them to have a chance of making the top six and although it looks a tall order, the team and management deserve credit for giving us a chance of a memorable end to the season.

Rovers have another winnable game on Saturday at the Mem as struggling Northampton are the visitors They currently lie just outside the drop zone.

A victory would close the gap on the play-off pack before playing Plymouth Argyle next week.