Joey Barton may be everyone's favourite pantomime villain in League One but the Fleetwood Town manager continues to be complimentary about Bristol Rovers.
Just under five weeks ago he was greeting Ben Garner on the sidelines for the Rovers' manager's second game in charge after succeeding Graham Coughlan.
That match finished 0-0 with considerable controversy as Ched Evans had a goal ruled out for a teammate interfering with play in an offside position, which led to Barton sent off after he left his technical area to protest angrily with his officials.
Even in light of his frustrations that day, Barton still praised the visitors stating, "Credit to Rovers, they defended manfully, some great interceptions and when we did get beyond that back three, the keeper was tipping it over the bar".
And ahead of Saturday's re-match at the Mem has continued that theme with further praise for the club and its supporters, as the Gas go in search of their first win since December 17.
"Bristol are a good side; they defend the goal fantastically well and it’s a really ," Barton said. "They’ve got a good crowd at Bristol so whether they’re on a good run or a bad run, it’s a tough place to go.
"It would’ve been an even harder place to go earlier on in the season, now they sit at the bottom of the form table and we need to be at our best because that’s League One.
"We need to turn up and be at our best if we do deliver our best, there are not many teams in the league that can match us."
Barton also believes Rovers are a different beast now, compared to at the start of the season, as Garner has attempted to evolve their style away from Coughlanball.
The former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder claims the quality of the surface at the Mem, which saw the club's groundstaff named the best in League One last season, lends itself to getting the ball on the deck and playing.
"They’ve been successful playing a 3-5-2, but now the new manager has come in and now they try to pass the ball a bit more," Barton added. "It’s a good pitch at Bristol so they’re able to play a bit more."
While Rovers are struggling towards the bottom of the form table, Fleetwood have also found results hard to come by as, since that 0-0 at Highbury Stadium, they have drawn twice and lost three matches, in all competitions.
Barton has a full-strength squad to choose and are hoping to add former Stoke and Aston Villa midfielder Glenn Whelan before the weekend with the Republic of Ireland international available on a free transfer.
"We’re trying to get something done before the weekend, if that runs its natural course, we should have at least another player for Saturday’s game," Barton said.
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