If there was one player whose performance in Tuesday’s win at Shrewsbury Town encapsulated Ben Garner’s Bristol Rovers, is was Josh Grant.
To say the central midfielder had a torrid first half in the 1-0 win at New Meadow would be an understatement.
The spurning of an early gilt-edged chance perhaps affected his psyche in those 45 minutes. From that moment until the half time whistle he was suffering in the heart of midfield and was lucky that the occasions he forfeited possession cheaply were not punished by a profligate Shrews front line.
But he emerged from the interval as a different player, and was close to faultless in the second half as Rovers dug in to protect their goal and the three points. His character was a reflection of the identity Garner has established.
The former Chelsea man shielded the defence, made several firm challenges and looked after the ball with much more care – much to the delight of Garner whose words of praise and encouragement for his holding midfielder echoed around the empty stadium.
“He reacted brilliantly in the second half,” Garner told Bristol Live at full time.
“It was not a great 45 minutes for him first half, and he’s been very good since coming in.
“You’ve got to remember he is only 21 or 22 years old and he’s still learning and developing, but the way he reacted second half.
“I think he’s becoming a man for us and in the second half he was absolutely brilliant for us.”
Grant’s ability, at such a young age, to overcome a testing 45 minutes and respond in the fashion he did is evidence of the character Garner has nurtured among his young squad.
The 22-year-old was not alone in standing up for his team at New Meadow, either.
Max Ehmer delivered a captain’s performance highlighted by a superb read to cut out a dangerous through ball in the first period and he followed it up with a match-winning goalline clearance in the second period.
And Garner revealed Brandon Hanlan, who scored the game’s only goal with a brave header before colliding full throttle with the onrushing goalkeeper, offered a telling message to his teammates in the dressing room at the interval.
“I’ll put my body on the line for you” were the 23-year-old’s words to his teammates as he rallied them to dig deep in the second half, and that is just a small insight into the collective mentality Garner has been successful in fostering amid a dramatic overhaul.
The Gas added 14 new players in the transfer window with 15 departing, and while Rovers’ desired style of play is taking time to gel, this young squad has quickly become united.
They have fought for each other to get results in these early weeks of the season, and tremendous resilience has been mustered in response to a poor start to the campaign which saw plenty of questions asked by supporters and reporters.
A superb snap from regular Gas photographer Robbie Stephenson at full time (above) was an indication of the band of brothers culture in Garner’s squad, as Ehmer, Grant and Jack Baldwin embraced at full time weary but as winners.
It may be unsustainable for Rovers to get results through courage and bloody-mindedness alone the more the season matures, but the manager could not have much better foundations to build from.
