ROVERS FANZ VIEW COLUMN
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The win over Notts County last week propelled us into the top three as we continued our unbeaten start to the season. Very much like the Bury game that preceded it in midweek, we saw a war of attrition in the first half followed by a strong Rovers display in the second that eventually overwhelmed dogged opponents. Whereas Bury grabbed a draw with an outrageous goal with about twenty minutes to go, against Notts we managed to keep it tight and hold on for victory. Spectators at both matches witnessed almost identical headers at the Blackthorn End, with Stuart Campbell's corner from the left flank picking out John Anderson in the first game and then the same man finding the forehead of Christian Edwards on Saturday. Campbell followed this up with an even better delivery when he threaded a sublime through ball into the path of Junior Agogo for the match winner, giving the silky Scot his third assist in three outings since signing from Grimsby in the summer. Paul Tait was last season's top goalscorer with twelve in all competitions and he was also top of the goal creators' list with six assists, yet these figures took him 35 games to accrue. For Campbell to set up three goals already bodes well for our final goal tally, provided he stays fit and healthy, and he has played a huge part in this year's Rovers team scoring twice in every fixture so far. Rovers also scored two against Swindon in the last pre-season game at the Mem, so if we can continue to bang them in at such a rate, we will have a lot to cheer about. I reckon the run may come to an end away at Brighton in the League Cup but having said that, they have had a poor start to their Championship campaign and shipped six goals in their opening three matches, so defensive confidence could be brittle at the Withdean Stadium. Back in League Two (let's not call it Division 2 because it starts to gets confusing!), I don't think many were predicting the early pacesetters to be Macclesfield. They are always tipped for the drop because they get tiny crowds and have no money but the Macc often make shrewd signings and giant centre-forward Jon Parkin, who arrived from York in February, has propelled them to the top of the table with four goals already, keeping new man Mike Sheron out of the team. Another Rovers signing in the pipeline may be Aaron Lescott, who sparkled at the back end of last season on loan from Stockport. Some people have compared him with Ian Holloway for the way he covers every blade of grass on the pitch and does the basic things like passing and tackling, simply and very effectively. Lescott would be a great addition to the midfield we already have in place, as I think he would complement Stuart Campbell and Paul Trollope very well, and his capture would add to the competition in there with the likes of James Hunt and Craig Disley. Disley marked his return from injury with a goal for the reserves at Swansea in the week, as Rovers again found it easy to hit the net by bagging four. Lee Thorpe pressed his claims with one, captain Ryan Williams continued to impress by scoring another and non-contract defender Liam Burns notched the final goal against a strong home line-up.
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