The next seven days could define the outcome of Bristol Rovers' season with Paul Tisdale's side hanging precariously above the relegation zone on goal difference.
To say this campaign has not gone to plan for the Gas would be an understatement.
Ben Garner's time in charge was terminated in November after managing 11 games and 12 points. Tisdale has added 10 points from one fewer game at the helm.
Rovers had aspirations for a season of progression after a busy summer of forward-thinking recruitment, but their slide since Graham Coughlan's departure has appeared almost inexorable 13 months on.
With the benefit of hindsight, some of the 15 signings appear to have been too preparatory, with several unlikely to have a significant role in the side until next season or beyond.
The planning behind the signings was admirable, as the club vies to copy the more efficient EFL clubs by developing from within, but Rovers do not have the required haul of points at this stage to be concerned with promoting their young talent. Only certain members of the squad are trusted for the battle facing them in the coming months.
The Gas were well beaten by Oxford United on Saturday, with the fragile depth of their squad exposed once again.
Any team in League One would struggle with players like Sam Nicholson and Erhun Oztumer – key cogs in Rovers' sputtering attacking system – on the sidelines, but in their three-game absence Rovers have not discovered a plan B which has yielded a single point.
Anxieties that Rovers exited the last transfer window without enough attacking depth have been vindicated. Rovers cannot dispute that their fans had warned only an injury here or their would leave the cupboard looking bare.
James Daly has seen a promising season hampered by injury. Jonah Ayunga is feeling his way back from a hamstring problem of his own. Nicholson is battling a hip complaint. Oztumer is still feeling the after effects of a bout of COVID-19 a month ago. Brandon Hanlan has been left to shoulder the goalscoring burden without his creative partners, and when he was out with an Achilles problem at Wigan in November the Gas were left without a recognised striker.
Bolstering their attacking ranks was Rovers' obvious priority when trading began on January 2, but with approximately 174 hours remaining in the transfer window, the club are yet to address their biggest flaw.
They have tried. Deals for Armand Gnanduillet and Jayden Stockley proved elusive and Harry Smith moved elsewhere while Rovers prioritised the aforementioned duo.
But Rovers, to now, haven't succeeded and are left scrambling around for other options. Only goalkeeper Joe Day and defender George Williams have arrived.
Let's get this straight. With their strongest XI fit under Tisdale, Rovers have proven they are not among the four worst sides in this division. The wins against AFC Wimbledon, Plymouth Argyle and Blackpool were underpinned by a clear method which got the best out of Rovers' better players.
But without one or two players in key positions, the Gas certainly are relegation contenders. Only goal difference is keeping them out of the bottom four with the halfway point of the season only two games away.
In this condensed season, injuries are sure to be more common and costly with the cluttered schedule meaning more games will be missed than usual. Working within a 22-man squad is awkward, sure, but Tisdale and director of football Tommy Widdrington are taking an unnecessary risk if they do not complete more deals by 11pm next Monday.
Recruitment matters have certainly been complicated by the starkly different tactical approaches between Garner and Tisdale. The former tailored the squad to play with a three-man defence and one striker in a possession-based style, while Tisdale wants to play a back four and two up top in a more direct fashion when his best players are fit.
The current manager also certainly seeks different qualities in his players than Garner, meaning the efforts of the recruitment department to work one or two windows ahead have been somewhat undermined. Williams appears a decent signing on paper, but it is unlikely he would have been looked at before Tisdale's appointment. Ultimately, despite Widdrington's influence as a board member, it is the manager who chooses the players he wants.
Saturday's performance was impotent. The Pirates' only meaningful chances came when they were already two goals behind. The setup from the manager was too pragmatic and Rovers lacked the guile to trouble Oxford.
The Gas have not scored a single goal in open play since the Blackpool win on January 2 and they have only 22 goals from 21 games, a record only better than that of fellow strugglers Northampton Town.
If they get some good luck with injuries, Rovers should be fine come the end of the season, but why roll the dice in this unusual campaign? The jeopardy is real and they could sleepwalk their way to League Two if they don't get some added quality in the final third, be it a striker, a winger, or both, before the window slams shut.
