The New Year began just as the old one had finished, with Rovers down in the dumps one minute and flying high the next. Going to home games is no longer a journey made in trepidation as our record at the Mem is comparable with those at the top of the division, blemished by just one defeat that was dealt by Christmas leaders Scunthorpe. Unfortunately, since the sun disappeared behind the grey winter clouds, Gasheads travelling away have come home more miserable than the weather thanks to some awful results. Take last Saturday's match at Shrewsbury, a team struggling in the bottom three who were surely the ideal fodder for transforming our fortunes. Sadly, it was us who looked like the relegation candidates on the day and any fond memories we had of Gay Meadow from our last visit, the 5-2 demolition job on the hosts that proved to be a rare day of joy in the Graydon era, were soon snuffed out by an horrendous performance this time around. After playing eight matches on loan with other clubs in League Two this season, Ryan Clarke was given the chance to impress his permanent employers due to Kevin Miller's injury and he was arguably our best performer. There was only one dodgy moment, when he nonchalantly left alone a whipped free-kick only to hear the ball smack against the crossbar behind him. Other than that, he could do little about the goals in so much that his defence should have dealt with both situations. There was also a worrying lack of discipline throughout the game and we were lucky that the lenient referee only sent off John Anderson. First-half handbags could so easily have resulted in more than a couple of yellow cards, while sub Lewis Haldane appeared to have a go at a Shrews player in the corner at the end. As for Anderson, it looked as though he grabbed his marker by the throat and he promptly received Rovers' sixth red card of the campaign. Northampton were a completely different proposition on the Bank Holiday Monday, riding high in the play-off places on the back of an impressive run. We needn't have worried though, as Rovers turned on the gas and roasted the Cobblers with a determined display. The fact that the entire four-man midfield were former Northampton players may have helped get the blood pumping, and even when Dave Savage limped off within the first few minutes, another former Cobbler, Jamie Forrester dropped back to fill the hole. Paul Trollope seemed much more comfortable in the centre of the park, his accustomed position, and fittingly two ex-Sixfields stars combined to open the scoring, with Ali Gibb delivering a super cross for James Hunt to power into the near corner with a rocket header. Gibb's return to fitness and the starting eleven was a major boost to a Rovers side previously bereft of width and he delivered the corner that Christian Edwards eventually poked home for 2-0. Everyone got a bit edgy when the visitors scrambled a goal back but Ryan Clarke pulled off some vital saves, including one at point-blank range near the end to stop them drawing level. Lee Thorpe had endured a forgettable weekend up front where nothing seemed to go for him but it ended on a high note when he played in Junior Agogo for Rovers' third, which finally killed the Cobblers off. All we need now is to somehow transport the brand of football we see at home to our travels because otherwise we are destined to stay stuck in the middle of League Two. © Chris Chappell - Friday 7th January 2005 Back to Index