Bristol Rovers’ FA Cup third round display against Sheffield United at the Memorial Stadium filled me with confidence that the club can climb away from the League One relegation zone.
When Paul Tisdale was appointed manager, I thought it was an inspired choice by the board and already I can see his personality being reflected by the team.
I watched the whole of last weekend’s cup tie on television at home and, despite the 3-2 defeat, saw so much to be positive about in the performance of my old club.
Paul is the calmest of characters and I noticed that nothing seemed to faze his team or distract them from their game plan.
Even when falling behind three times in the game, Rovers bounced back and stayed in it right up to the final whistle.
When watching a match on TV, I tend to look away from the ball and try to see what is going on in the areas around it to see the shape and structure of a team.
From what I could see, the Rovers lads seemed to be in the right positions at the right time for most of the match and knew their respective jobs.
Not only did the players seem fully clued up on what they were trying to do, they also clearly had faith in it. The first thing a new manager has to do is make his squad believe in the style of football he wants to play.
I wrote in last week’s column that it was a big opportunity to cause a cup shock, but also warned that Chris Wilder would have spent the previous week trying to get the Blades back to what made them so successful last season.
Sure enough, they did play a lot better and peppered the Rovers box with crosses. But, in general, the home side dealt with them well and it was great to see one of our own in Alfie Kilgour have such a strong game.
After new goalkeeper Joe Day conceded an unfortunate own goal he could do nothing about, the young home-grown product levelled things with a fantastic header.
Going back to my days in the team, I was so proud to be a Bristolian among a lot of players signed from elsewhere and I am sure the same applies to Alfie.
His development is so important because whatever level of football you play at, every manager wants the solid base provided by a settled back-line and central defenders in particular.
I was also very impressed with Brandon Hanlan and feel we are lucky to have him. Paul appears to be intent on signing another striker in the current transfer window and I am all for that because you can never have too many goalscorers in a squad.
Hanlan looks to me as though he can be a regular marksman in League One. I was concerned over how Rovers would fare after Jonson Clarke-Harris departed, but at only 23, his replacement has scope to improve further.
Under Ben Garner, the team’s stats were wrong. They were having the lion’s share of possession in many games without turning it into wins.
While I reckoned he should have been given more time in his first management job, I do feel a greater sense of security about Rovers’ future with Paul Tisdale at the helm.
What Paul is doing is based on years of experience. We will get another good indication of the progress being made when Charlton Athletic visit the Mem tomorrow.
After that, Rovers face five away games in their next six fixtures, including three tough trips on the trot to face Crewe Alexandra, Oxford United and Peterborough United in the space of eight days.
That is the sort of challenge this COVID-19 affected season throws up, with all the rearranged fixtures and need to cram so many games into a shortened campaign.
Under normal circumstances, the three successive away fixtures, followed by two more early next month against Accrington Stanley and Fleetwood Town, would be hugely daunting for a team looking to move clear of the relegation zone.
But nothing is normal at the moment and, with no partisan crowds to create an intimidating atmosphere for the visitors, home advantage is nowhere near as important.
Provided Rovers prepare correctly and get their travel arrangements right, which I am sure will be the case, there is nothing to fear apart, of course, from facing some very good sides, all in the top half of the table.
Even that might not be such a problem. From what I have seen, Rovers are more comfortable playing against footballing sides than teams like Keith Curle’s Northampton Town, who adopt a more direct style.
We have already won at Lincoln, Shrewsbury and AFC Wimbledon this season, as well as picking up a point at Sunderland.
If the team continue in the same vein as against Sheffield United, I am sure they can add to those excellent results on the road.
It may seem strange on the back of watching just one full game, but as a committed Gashead, I am totally confident that the club are going in the right direction, with enough good players and the right man in charge to build for future success.
We already have some quality players and Paul will look to add to them before the end of the month. Unless I am much mistaken, better times lie ahead.
