All Filler, No Killer: Bristol Rovers 1-1 Imps

November 10, 2024 Gary Bristol Rovers, Headlines, League One, Lincoln City, Matches, Reports 0

Credit Graham Burrell

In the story of a club’s season, there will be games that you remember like they were yesterday, with goals, incidents and plenty to discuss.

There will also be filler games, those that helped a club toward a points tally but are as non-descript as ten or fifteen others. Often draws or narrow 1-0 wins, these games are like album tracks hidden amongst hit singles. For every Wonderwall, there’s a Hey Now. For every Parklife, there’s a Jubilee (an underrated track, by the way, but that undermines my message entirely). For every Common People, there’s a Live Bed Show.

This was a Live Bed Show, Jubilee and Hey Now all rolled into one. It is the quintessential album track that fills a gap but is unlikely to be on anyone’s ‘Top 100 Games’ after the next 150 matches. It was all filler, no killer (which, for music buffs out there, is a play on the title of Sum 41’s 2001 album All Killer, No Filler, which, ironically, had two decent singles and nine filler tracks).

This was the first game of the season where I felt injuries were beginning to take their toll. Montsma, O’Connor, and Roughan are formidable back three, but with Hamer and Jackson out, it feels like a threadbare one. While plenty of people are waxing lyrical about Conor McGrandles recently, and probably rightly so, I feel Ethan Erhahon is a huge miss. All the cool kids looking for an edgy opinion say we’ve been better without Erhahon, but that’s just an eagerness to knock success. He’s our best player, no debate, and no matter how well McGrandles plays, we’re weaker when Erhahon is out of the side.

I also feel the returning players are, to a degree, taking time to readjust. We know Ethan Hamilton and Reeco Hackett are big players for us, but I think both still look a little jaded and short of the match sharpness they need. That’s not a criticism, by the way. In pre-season, we played six matches, and those expected to be on the first team would build towards a full 90 over those six matches, starting with 45 minutes. Let’s say, on average, by the opening game of the season, our first XI have played somewhere around 360 minutes – that’s from a fresh fitness standing start. Up until yesterday, Reeco had 348 under his belt, and Ethan Hamilton had 399. With both coming back from long-term injuries, I feel like yesterday was a bit of a milestone for them, both passing the 400-minute mark.

I do wonder if the squad situation contributed, in some small part, to what was a really lacklustre first half. I didn’t think we were bad as such, perhaps a little sloppy at times, but we didn’t concede a huge number of chances. The Memorial Stadium pitch is quite big and we had a lot of ground to cover, and perhaps we didn’t adjust brilliantly to that. Mind you, our opponents were nothing special either, and you can see how they’re down in the lower reaches of the division themselves. I saw a social media comment after the game saying ‘two midtable teams, ‘ which is harsh, as we’re in the top six, but perhaps in the first half, that is how it looked.

It’s really hard to think about anything significant from the first half in terms of chances. One Ben House cross saw Makama have a Paul Gascoigne moment, inches from poking the ball home, but it wasn’t as clear cut as that 1996 Euro semi-final effort. Of course, because there was no touch, it wouldn’t go on our first half xG of 0.41, and in normal time, it was our best effort.

I did have a bit of a moan about their goal, and it really is just sour grapes. Not five minutes before they scored, Jovon was penalised for pushing their defender in the back. Weak? Yes. A foul? Possibly. So, when the same barge happened on Reeco by Shaq Forde, it felt natural that we’d get a free kick. Either both are fouls, or neither is a foul. If I’m honest, I don’t think either was a foul and, therefore, no complaints about their goal, but if the ref makes one decision, he has to make the other. I wasn’t super impressed by Dale Baines the match official, he began to feel like a bit of a homer by the end of the game and while he got nothing majorly wrong, there was an ominous air of inconsistency hanging over the game from that point onward.

Mind you, Forde’s finish was proper class. I know fans reach for blame, and that might be pointed at Reeco or (I’ve seen this on social media) Wickens, but nobody is to blame. It’s just a sensational finish, placed to perfection. We’ve had some good finishes against us this season, and Forde’s goal was right up there. Credit where it is due, especially after the same player came in for some abhorrent racial abuse over the last week or so. It was a nice moment for him, even if it was one that kicked us in the balls.

We could have gone in level, and again, all those edgy souls looking for blame will be on Makama like a wasp on a beer on a warm day. It’s such a simple chance in injury time; Josh Griffiths clears long, we head it straight back up the field, and Makama looks to be one-on-one. By the way – what a header from Paudie, who turned in another outstanding performance.

Now, Makama is one-on-one, but again, you have to credit the defending. At the time, I cried for a penalty, as Connor Taylor reached all over our striker, but it was not. He’s done just enough to make sure Makama can’t settle, and with Griffiths coming the other way, there’s not quite a moment where our young striker can shoot. It’s actually really good team work between keeper and defender, so hats off to them for that. However, it meant despite not being terrible, we went in 1-0 down at half time.

I still felt there was something in the game for us, but I wasn’t sure how we’d dig it out. Reeco was getting a bit of joy in terms of possession, but looks a little shy at taking a man on at present. The midfield dynamic of Jeffries, Hamilton and McGrandles is solid enough, but it lacks a bit of creativity, and while I thought House and Makama worked incredibly hard, I wondered if those wide open spaces might suit someone who looks to roll the last defender, such as Bailey Cadamarteri.

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