ROVERS FANZ VIEW COLUMN
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Although the global transfer window has taken the top flight spice away from Transfer Deadline Day, the last Thursday in March is always intriguing to see how your rivals shuffle their packs for the last time. Shrewsbury Town were the biggest panic-buyers at the bottom, bringing in strikers Scott Partridge and Steve Watts for the run-in, as well as Bristol City’s midfielder Robin Hulbert on loan to boost their flagging chances of staying up. With Michele Di Piedi going back to Sheffield Wednesday after a not-too-convincing month on loan, there was a signal that Ray Graydon was making room for another signing at Rovers. Di Piedi proved to be a non-stop runner and a real trier up front, but unfortunately he lacked a goal and we are too long in the tooth now to accommodate non-scoring forwards. It was the world’s worst kept secret that the manager has been searching high and low for a real battering-ram of a striker to compliment the more subtle skills of Tait, Grazioli and co. So it was a relief to finally capture one in the shape of Andy Rammell, who has strangely been signed by the same man that released him from Walsall – Mr Graydon. At least we know that Ray should be able to get the best out of him, as Rammell went to Walsall in 1998 after two mediocre seasons at Southend, and proceeded to bag twenty goals at the Bescot to win them promotion to the First Division. With Wayne Carlisle and Lee Hodges slinging crosses over from both flanks, hopefully he will have the same prolific effect that Mark Robins gave to City recently. Hodges made his first appearance in a Rovers shirt last week against Hartlepool and showed promising glimpses of the quality that got him into the PFA Division Three team of the season for the past two years. I remember how he and Peter Beagrie caused havoc from both wings when we clashed with Scunthorpe last year and I was surprised as to what has happened to him since. It seems as though his new club Rochdale are blessed in the left-wing position with player-boss Paul Simpson one of the best in the lower divisions, and if we can snap Lee up permanently then it will be a coup. Unsurprisingly, Hodges tired after about 70 minutes but by then he had made a few determined forays down the flank and hooked some decent early through-balls up the middle which split the Hartlepool defence wide open a couple of times. He certainly played his part in the first half onslaught which saw Rovers completely overrun the champions elect. Graham Hyde and Paul Tait were excellent and the two combined for the early goal, rifled home on the volley by Hyde. Tait’s goal tally has been a target for criticism from some quarters this season, but that flick from Sonny Parker’s long throw was his eighth assist of the campaign, one more than both Wayne Carlisle and Vitas Astafjevs, who have been responsible for creating seven goals apiece. It is obvious the vociferous Blackthorn End make a huge contribution, and ever since we have moved to the Mem, we seem to play better attacking the noisy Clubhouse. We used to save this trump card for the second half, but in the last two games we have switched ends to face the hordes first and we have started with a bang as a result. The inevitable Hartlepool backlash happened in the second period, but the defence were brilliant and Scott Howie had one of those invincible afternoons that goalkeepers experience once in a blue moon, pulling off save after save, including a double block near the end of the first half. The back four are gelling well as a unit under Phil Bater’s tutelage, but still there appears to be a lack of cover with Boxall and Uddin still recovering from injuries. That is probably why we also added Tobi Jinadu to the defensive ranks on Thursday, a player formerly at non-league Clapton, Harrow Borough and Wembley who has impressed in the reserves over the past few weeks.
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