Fan’s View: FA Cup 2014

Bristol Rovers Fan’s View
FA Cup fall out 2014

By Wayne Collins

Saturday saw Bristol Roves play Tranmere Rovers in the first round of the FA Cup. Unfortunately there will be no cup run this season and I’m a bit gutted as I love the FA cup and have some fond memories of watching Rovers taking part in it.

The game finished 1-0 to the home side. It’s a shame we lost but I think we can hold our heads high as they are in the league above us and the level of play made it difficult to tell who was in the higher league.

The League Two side took the lead from the penalty spot after Mark McChrystal handled in the area.  Rovers created a few chances with Ellis Harrison wasting the best chance with his miss hit volley.

Tranmere were reduced to ten men after one of their players kicked out at Tom Parkes. It is a shame that while we had the extra man advantage we couldn’t get an equaliser and take the game back to the Mem, but at least we played well.

A few people I’ve spoken to have said they’re glad we’re out of the cup as they believed it would lay a burden on our promotion push. I don’t think this is the case – we have a decent squad and a few useful youngsters we can call upon. Plus, if we were doing well in the cup the positive results would have bred confidence. At least now we can put everything into moving up and out of this league.

Again the only real concern for me is that we still aren’t scoring enough goals! Those of you who read my reviews will be probably be bored of reading this but surely it’s only a matter of time before the flood gates open?

The manager Darrell Clarke looks to be on the hunt for a striker – something that we are desperately in need of – and we have recently been linked with Lee Hughes and Matt Tubbs. If Lee Hughes signs I would personally be gutted as I wouldn’t want his well known actions to taint the club’s reputation. Matt Tubbs on the other hand would be incredible as he would score for fun in this league. I’ve seen him a few times this season playing for AFC Wimbledon and I think he could be one to watch.

A positive from Saturday is that Stuart Sinclair returned from injury. His non stop running and energy is great to have back on the pitch. Hopefully he can stay injury free as I believe he is one of the most important players in the team at the moment.

Rovers were back in league action last night against Alfreton with the game ending in a 0-0 draw. I, like many Gasheads, am disappointed. Well, actually more annoyed and frustrated! They were there for the taking! We haven’t taken enough chances recently and it’s almost getting boring now. Making the result even more frustrating is the fact that Barnet lost their game against Torquay so we also missed out on a chance to close the gap at the top.

Listening to the commentary it sounds as though we were on top but just couldn’t score – again! It’s quite clear we need a striker who is going to follow through and put the ball in the back of the net. Goals win games! We’re not scoring enough and we will find ourselves falling behind the front runners if we don’t find our feet soon.

This is my first slightly negative piece on Rovers but I’m sure I am voicing the opinions of many Rovers fans out there. We’ve had the same problems all season and we just aren’t scoring enough (bar the 7-1 victory at Dorchester).

Nick Higgs – maybe it’s time to break the bank and bring in a goal scorer? This season already seems to be a reflection of last season – we just need a reliable goal scorer.

I feel for the amazing fans who made the trip on a Tuesday night all that way for a 0-0 draw. If nothing else it’s amazing to see that Rovers fans will always be present, even when things aren’t going our way.

At least we won a point and managed to hold on to the clean sheet, but in the grand scheme of things we should be beating the so called lesser teams in this division (no disrespect to Alfreton – they did well to keep a clean sheet too!).

I hate to sound as though I am being negative. I really hope that I am proven wrong and that Saturday’s result makes me look silly for complaining. Let’s hope our strikers find their scoring boots!

Next up is a home game against Kidderminster Harriers. Come on Rovers, let’s get back to winning ways!

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