It could have all been so different, but Bristol Rovers fell to a 3-1 defeat to Hull City on Tuesday.
The Gas had the lead with just a minute on the clock thanks to the predatory striking instincts of James Daly and, after keeping the Tigers at bay, they should have gone in to the break two to the good.
Zain Westbrooke could not make a golden chance count in stoppage time, and Rovers paid after the break as a trio of substitutes – Keane Lewis-Potter, Regan Slater and Tom Eaves – turning the game around in the second half.
Many of these Rovers players are still in their schooling in the senior game, and they will have learned a lot from Tuesday's game.
A League One lesson
The talk in the press box at half time was whether Westbrooke’s missed chance on the verge of half time would prove costly, and low and behold it did.
Rovers scored in the first minute of the first half and they should have scored in the last. Brandon Hanlan was a little fortunate as an errant touch outfoxed a Hull defender, and he burst through the middle before squaring it for the midfielder.
No-one needs to tell Westbrooke that he had to bury the chance, but it is a teachable moment for Garner’s Gas.
League One is competitive from top to bottom, there really are no easy games and it is the moments that matter more than the overall pattern of play.
Rovers, after racing into the lead, defended manfully as Hull squeezed and dominated territory without creating clear-cut chances.
The Gas weathered the storm, stayed in the game, held their shape and hoped to pounce if a counter-attacking opportunity arose.
It did, but they did not make it count as Westbrooke’s tame one-on-one effort was saved.
One senses at least a point would have been banked had the midfielder – who has impressed since his summer move from Coventry City but is still maturing into the role of Rovers’ midfield lynchpin – hit the back of the net.
Garner admitted his team need to be more “cutthroat” when reflecting on the defeat, and with the fine margins in play you cannot make a habit of missing chances like that in crucial moments like that.
Bench boost
Remarkably, Grant McCann’s triple substitution on the hour paid huge dividends with each of the introductions from the bench getting on the scoresheet as the Tigers bit back to take the points.
Now it is unrealistic to expect anything like that, but that is the kind of game-changing potential Garner wants from his substitutes.
With 15 signings in the transfer window, there is now fierce competition for most positions in the Rovers squad, with the likes of Sam Nicholson, Erhun Oztumer and Alfie Kilgour having to settle for a spot on the bench.
Most games Rovers have played this season have been tight for long periods, and aces up the sleeve are invaluable.
Garner told Bristol Live ahead of the game there are five or six players out of the team who are worthy of a place in the starting XI, and that is a good place for Rovers to be.
But an important step in the team’s progression is that those players are contributing from the bench, because the games in this division have small margins and – as Tuesday proved – the impact from the bench is profound.
Garner is right about the positives
Tuesday’s game was another where Rovers have not been the fluent side Garner wants them to be.
His message from the touchline was for more composure, but ultimately it was not a great night for the Gas on the ball.
It is a pattern that has been present all season, with the ball not moving through the thirds as freely as desired.
But Rovers have still accumulated a decent haul of points through defensive resilience and the odd moment of ruthlessness in the final third.
“I’ve said to the players we’re not a million miles away off these top teams in the division,” was Garner’s message at full time.
“Hull have come down from the Championship with a fantastic squad, some really good players and we’ve pushed them all the way. We’re unlucky not to come away with something.”
Personally, the result seemed pretty fair on the balance of play, with Hull dictating terms for the most part and effective in stretching the Gas out of their shape in the second half.
But 3-1 was definitely a harsh scoreline, and on another day it could have been one point or even three for Rovers had Westbrooke’s opportunity been taken.
This squad is still at an early point in its journey and there are many areas for improvement, but they are holding their own and are certainly no mugs.
