With the season gone and some time taken to examine what has gone before us it comes the time to hand out the HJBSports gongs to those who delivered, or in some cases failed to do so, throughout the past year at Bristol Rovers. Despite the doom and gloom of relegation there were players who put their all into the fight to beat the drop and they deserve some form of commendation, so here goes.
Best team performance - Bristol Rovers 3-1 Swindon Town
In a season of turmoil there isn't really much to say in regards to all round performances but the one that stands out is the home victory over Swindon, a first league victory in thirteen and the first of Dave Penney's reign. From the moment Will Hoskins coolly lifted the ball over Swindon keeper Phil Smith the game never looked in doubt for the Bristol side, even more so when Jo Kuffour doubled the lead after dodging Smith, rolling the ball into an unguarded net. Jon-Paul McGovern's consolation goal turned out to be nothing more than a minor blip as Jeff Hughes headed home a third to send the home fans happy for the first time in a long while, even though it proved to be inconsequential come seasons end.
Worst player - John Akinde (But only just)
This was probably the most contested category this season, many candidates putting their name into the ring with dire performances throughout the year. Chris Lines was below par, especially when you compare him with some of last seasons spectacular performances, but at least he did have the odd half decent game. Jerel Ifil made three appearances, looking totally off the pace before being dealt a straight red card in the relegation dogfight with Dagenham & Redbridge, a game Rovers again went on to lose, but for consistent underachievement the award has to go to 'big' John Akinde.
For all the world the Gravesend born striker's 6'2" frame looked that of a ruthlessly powerful targetman, an asset Rovers had lacked since selling Rickie Lambert, but, alas, that wasn't to be. Akinde proved to be no better in the air than the minuscule Jo Kuffour, constantly being bundled off the ball by central defenders, his inability to get more than two inches off the ground only hindering his lack of prowess in aerial challenges. Low on confidence his finishing was affected as such, but even working with a partner as intelligent as Will Hoskins didn't help the on-loan forward, nicknamed 'Agent Akinde' by Bristol City fans, get on the scoresheet. Needless to say his loan was not extended after nineteen goalless games in a blue and white shirt that yielded only one noteworthy performance, that coming against an understrength Wycombe side in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
Goal f the season - Will Hoskins V Huddersfield
There were few goals to cheer about for Gasheads this year, even less of them being superlative strikes but there were at least a few corkers to mention. Ben Swallow's first senior goal, aforementioned above, was a spectacular hit, bending and dipping into the top corner while there is debate as to whether Will Hoskins meant his second goal away at Sheffield Wednesday, volleying high from the corner of the penalty area. For me, though, the finest goal seen comes from the expected source, Hoskins effort at the Galpharm against Huddersfield.
The Gas had been under the cosh all game but held on for what looked like a brave point, only for Hoskins to pop up on the left, throw in a couple of stepovers on his way inside the Terriers defence before unleashing a fine curling effort around Alex Smithies and into the onion bag, sending the away fans home happy with all three points for the long journey back to Bristol.
Young player of the year - Harry Pell
With the under-performance of the entire first team squad this was a tight award to decide between the three candidates that featured enough to throw their names into the fire, Charlie Reece, Ben Swallow and my eventual choice, Harry Pell.
For Charlie Reece this should have been the season where he finally started to break into the starting line up, following up his sixteen appearances in the previous season, it wasn't to be, however. Many of the matches he played were under the stewardship of Paul Trollope and Darren Patterson's brief stint in charge, fourteen in total, while he played just 25 minutes for Dave Penney and was only given two matches under Stuart Campbell. No goals were scored by the former Aston Villa trainee and, in all honesty, he very rarely threatened.
After forcing his way into the squad last term Ben Swallow was another who should have developed from a peripheral squad member. He did play 21 times and could possibly have made more of an impact had it not been for an injury that prevented him from making more than two appearances past February 19th. Early on in the season he played fairly well, getting on the scoresheet for the first time with a fine curling strike against Wycombe, a goal of the season contender, and Dave Penney had begun handing him the odd start, but that injury halted his progress, making next season the biggest of his career as he looks to force his way into managerial minds.
The winner for this category is the man who played the fewest times of the three, Harry Pell. Sent on loan to Hereford by Dave Penney the youngster was making good progress with the Bulls and was recalled the same day Campbell took over as boss, coming on as a sub in his first game in charge, preceding a run in the team that saw him play a further eight times. Pell slotted into the starting eleven comfortably, finding himself playing either on the left, the right or through the centre where he was able to make a fine start to his life in professional football. Not afraid to tackle the Essex boy got stuck in and showed an ability to pick intelligent passes, as well as trying his luck with some fine efforts on goal. With Campbell's legs aging, Lines looking as though he may be sold and Gavin Williams and JP Kalala being released Pell has a real chance of breaking into the team next season, and if he he continues in the same vein he will undoubtedly get there.
Player of the season - Will Hoskins
Though there is an honorable mention for Stuart Campbell for this category there was only one player that was going to take this award. Will Hoskins flair and raw ability on the field set him far apart from any other member of the squad this season. His twenty goals were not enough to save Rovers from relegation and he has now been sold to Brighton for a six-figure fee but he will certainly live long in Gashead memories. There were all sorts of goals in his spell at the Mem, cheeky headers, thunderbolts from range and deft poachers finishes, Hoskins is a natural goalscorer whose ability to thrive in a team fighting relegation will serve him well for the future, making him even more determined to drive any future employers onto success.
The fact that Rovers won only once in the four times Hoskins scored a brace is a mark of how bad the Pirates were throughout the season. His goals away to Sheffield Wednesday and at home against Brighton were just two of a clutch of classy strikes, while he also chipped in with numerous assists and could have ended the year with many more goals to his name if it weren't for niggling injuries. There is no doubt that Hoskins was yet another supreme frontline talent to come off the Bristol Rovers conveyor belt, having just as much a chance of carving out a successful career as many of his predecessors have done before him.
Best manager - Stuart Campbell
Well, we did have four of them and, lets be honest, none of them were up to the task.
The less that is said about Dave Penney the better, he and his band of mercenaries sapping what was left of the spirit out of a squad that looked for all the world as if they had given up the fight. Hoofball was the name of the game and with only the distinctly League 2 Rene Howe to aim those high balls at Rovers were going down without so much as a whimper. But after just thirteen games and two wins in charge Penney was sent packing by the board who then turned to one last bastion of hope, Stuart Campbell.
'Cams' has spent seven years at the Memorial Stadium, captaining the club for over five, and has become a bit of a legend for his tireless work in the centre of midfield, battling hard, that despite his age beginning to catch up to him. Campbell's leadership qualities and experience in the game have earned him the respect of his fellow professionals and made him a father figure for the younger players within the club and there was no man that the squad, bereft of any confidence, would have given their all for. He began bringing back the players Penney had thrown away, his faith unwavering, and the results began to turn around. A first away win for five months was quickly followed by two more as the team looked to finally have some air in its lungs, but the luck ran out, the sudden surge of energy Campbell's appointment gave his charges had seeped away. Six winless games later it was all over, Rovers were down.
Don't let that fool you into thinking Campbell's status amongst the Rovers fans has changed. He might not have been able to save us, very few could have, but he restored a sense of pride to our flagging ship and given us a modicum hope that had long since blown away.
No comments:
Post a Comment