Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton admits he has concerns over the fitness of a couple of players ahead of Saturday’s visit of Forest Green, who could clinch promotion this weekend.Barton did not mention any names, but the issues could be a factor when he comes to name his team for the fixture.Leon Clarke could continue to miss out having been absent for Rovers’ last two matches.The ...Full Story »

Joey Barton praised his Bristol Rovers players for the character they showed in coming from behind to win 3-1 at promotion rivals Port Vale.The Pirates conceded a second-minute goal, but efforts from Elliot Anderson and James Connolly put them 2-1 up at the break, with Ryan Loft securing a vital win with a third in stoppage time.Barton, whose side stay fifth in League Two but are now only two po...Full Story »

Joey Barton hailed another important moment in Bristol Rovers’ promotion push after edging Sky Bet League Two play-off hopefuls Salford 1-0.The Gas made it five home wins in a row as they saw off Gary Bowyer’s team at the Memorial Stadium, with Elliot Anderson’s 75th-minute effort enough to secure the win.Barton was adamant after the match that it was always likely that there w...Full Story »

Joey Barton was frustrated that his Bristol Rovers side could not find a vital winner at Tranmere.Elliot Anderson scored a superb second-half equaliser for the Gas in a tense battle between the Sky Bet League Two play-off rivals.But Barton’s men had to settle for a point from a 1-1 draw on Merseyside after responding to Kane Hemmings’ brilliant opener.Barton said: “We were a li...Full Story »

Joey Barton heaped praise on Sam Finley after the midfielder’s spectacular goal helped Bristol Rovers battle back to beat Bradford 2-1 and boost the Pirates’ push for automatic promotion.The home side, having had several chances to take the lead in the first half, were caught cold immediately after half-time when Dion Pereira shot Bradford in front from inside the box.But Finley&rsqu...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton praised his team’s maturity as they claimed a crucial 1-0 win at Sky Bet League Two promotion rivals Northampton.Harry Anderson latched on to Fraser Horsfall’s short backpass to fire the Gas into the lead after just 38 seconds.And despite a strong response from the Cobblers, who twice hit the goal frame, Rovers returned to the West Country with three p...Full Story »

Joey Barton was full of praise for Newcastle loanee Elliot Anderson after seeing his in-form Bristol Rovers team move into the League Two play-off zone with a 1-0 win over Colchester.It was the 19-year-old midfielder’s sweet right-footed drive from the left side of the box after 49 minutes that settled a closely-fought game from which both sides emerged with credit.Anderson collected the s...Full Story »

Joey Barton sounded a warning to Bristol Rovers’ rival League Two promotion candidates after his side continued their drive up the League Two table.The Pirates, who began the season slowly, are now within two points of the automatic promotion places after seeing off Harrogate 3-0 at the Memorial Stadium.Aaron Collins fired Rovers ahead against the run of play with a long-range shot after 3...Full Story »

Joey Barton was delighted at the way his Bristol Rovers side revived their play-off hopes with a hard-fought 2-1 Sky Bet League Two victory at Crawley.Manager Barton was critical of the display in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Newport  but admitted this was just the kind of reaction he was looking for.A goal in each half from former Crawley youth player Harry Anderson and top scorer Aaron ...Full Story »

Swansea will be hoping goalkeeper Andy Fisher is fit to face table-topping Fulham on Tuesday night.Fisher was in discomfort making a save in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Coventry but should be fine to keep his place.Hannes Wolf will miss out after testing positive for coronavirus but Korey Smith is expected to be available despite receiving treatment at the end of the weekend victory.Cyrus Chri...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton was “proud of everyone at the football club” after a 1-1 draw with Exeter in front of a sell-out crowd of just under 10,000 at the Memorial Stadium.Despite seeing Luca Hoole’s first Rovers goal, a close-range shot from a 10th-minute corner, cancelled out by Jevani Brown’s well-struck drive 14 minutes later, Barton was in high spirits after ...Full Story »

Oxford manager Karl Robinson admitted his team’s exciting 4-2 comeback win over Cambridge was a fitting send-off for the late Joey Beauchamp.Regarded by many as Oxford’s greatest player, Beauchamp died last week, aged 50, and the fans sang his name throughout the match.Robinson said: “It’s been a hard week for the club and for me personally too.“But after this you c...Full Story »

Joey Barton called for his Bristol Rovers forwards to be more clinical despite seeing the Pirates thrash struggling Stevenage 4-0.Sam Finley, Elliot Anderson, Harry Anderson and Aaron Collins all scored for the visitors as they ran riot in a dominant display which Barton described as “men against boys”.The Pirates boss was thrilled with the performance but, after watching his side ta...Full Story »

Joey Barton was looking towards the League Two play-off zone after his improving Bristol Rovers side convincingly ended Sutton’s 12-match unbeaten run.Harry Anderson fired the hosts into a fourth-minute lead with a shot from just outside the box and they could have been out of sight at the break, most notably when Paul Coutts saw a 45th-minute penalty saved by Dean Bouzanis.Aaron Collins m...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton insisted his side were denied a ‘stonewall’ penalty during their goalless draw with in-form Mansfield.John-Joe O’Toole’s 64th-minute challenge on Aaron Collins inside the box provided the only major talking point at the Memorial Stadium as Nigel Clough’s Mansfield stretched their unbeaten League Two run to 11 games.Collins was convinc...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton hopes to have defender Connor Taylor available for the visit of Mansfield in Sky Bet League Two.Taylor was removed from the starting line-up before kick-off against Oldham in midweek after experiencing heart palpitations in the warm-up.He has been diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia and could undergo what Barton described as a “quite straightforwa...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton felt his side more than deserved their point as another late leveller earned them a 1-1 draw at Sutton.Anthony Evans’ 85th-minute penalty rescued a point for Rovers after Richie Bennett’s first-half opener at Gander Green Lane.Barton’s side have now picked up 10 points on their impressive six-game unbeaten run with goals in the last six minutes o...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton expressed growing pride in his team and club after an against-the-odds 1-0 victory over Walsall with 10 men.Aaron Collins won the game in the 90th minute, heading home from close range after Walsall goalkeeper Chris Rushworth had collided with Rovers substitute Harvey Saunders.Barton was particularly pleased with how his players coped after going a man down in the...Full Story »

Ice cold Joey Barton insisted he managed to keep his cool on the touchline – despite his Bristol Rovers team almost snatching a draw from the jaws of victory against second-bottom Scunthorpe.Josh Grant’s clinical finish, an Antony Evans penalty and a fine individual effort from Leon Clarke had the Gas cruising to a first away win since October on a chilly evening in Lincolnshire.Yet ...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton hailed the efforts of goalkeeper James Belshaw after two late goals rescued a poor performance in a 2-0 win over 10-man Hartlepool.Aaron Collins fired home from 10 yards after 87 minutes and Antony Evans made sure of the points with a superb stoppage-time free-kick after Hartlepool’s Jamie Sterry had been sent off for a foul which denied Collins a clear scor...Full Story »