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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
Sam Frost

James Belshaw pinpoints what went wrong at Barnsley and gives verdict on Bristol Rovers' start

James Belshaw believes Bristol Rovers erred from Joey Barton's gameplan at Barnsley, resulting in a comprehensive defeat on Tuesday, but the goalkeeper insists the Gas can muster a response at Portsmouth on Saturday.

The Gas were beaten 3-0 at Oakwell, and without several crucial interventions from Belshaw the margin of defeat could have been wider. It was a puzzling performance from Rovers, who had been so united and cohesive just days earlier in beating Oxford United; at Barnsley, they were disjointed, defensively vulnerable and ineffective in attack.

Barton hinted that he wanted his players to be more direct, matching up with Barnsley's style, but the Gas left themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks by ceding possession too often in the middle of the park.

Rovers' No1 believes the Gas have lessons to learn and quickly put into action ahead of the trip to Fratton Park on the weekend.

"We were off plan for a lot of it," Belshaw reflected as the lights started to go out at Oakwell. "We set out a gameplan that we didn’t execute. I think going 1-0 down so early on changes that and what you can’t do when you go 1-0 down is concede the second.

"It’s an unfortunate deflection off Harry (Anderson), but at that point it’s a case of staying in the game and not going 3-0 down. I thought we did that. We fronted up to a lot of pressure and we had to soak it up.

"It’s a tough night, but you have those in a season. We had a lot of them last season and look where we ended up.

"Let’s assess it, point out what went wrong and be honest with each other, but it’s done now. The focus switches to Saturday and a big test at Portsmouth."

Rovers started horribly in South Yorkshire, with Devante Cole squeezing in the opening goal inside three minutes. Jordan Williams' doubled the tally 10 minutes later, thanks in no small part to a big deflection on his seemingly harmless 30-yard shot.

Barton's side struggled to make any meaningful impression in the contest and the defeat was confirmed 10 minutes into the second half with Josh Benson smashing into the bottom corner from long range.

Despite the defeat, Belshaw believes the Gas have started the season well. They have taken six points from their opening four games and sit 10th in League One.

"I would have taken six points after four games with where we are and we’re not going to get disheartened by it," the keeper said.

"It’s a long season, there are going to be ups and downs and there are going to be nights like this. Barnsley were in the Championship last season and we were in League Two. For us, it’s about progression.

"We go into every game thinking we can win it. Tonight, we came out second best and I’m sure the gaffer will have a look at the game. We’ll have a meeting on Thursday and we’ll assess what went wrong and how to put it right.

"It’s another big opportunity away at Portsmouth on Saturday, so we go there still confident."

More than 300 travelling fans braved torrential downpours to support their team on Tuesday, despite the game being streamed on iFollow, and Belshaw appreciated the Gasheads' backing.

"The fans travelled on a Tuesday night in horrible conditions to spend their hard-earned money to come and watch us," he said. "They deserved a better performance than that, but credit to them for travelling, especially in the conditions and we thank all of them for their support."

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