Bristol Rovers stance on Middlesbrough loanee Josh Coburn explained

Joey Barton has revealed a change in shape, as well as injury issues are the reasons as to why Middlesbrough loanee Josh Coburn hasn’t featured as regularly for Bristol Rovers lately.

The striker featured heavily in the first half of the season, however has seen himself featuring from the bench for the last four games, after being substituted off at half-time in his side’s defeat to Lincoln City.

It was revealed after the game that the 20-year-old had picked up a knock in the match.

“Life is about timing, you know,” Barton said. “He’s coming back, he’s coming back and now it’s just waiting for an opportunity.”

“We were playing front twos and now we’ve gone away from that. We’ve gone 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, however, you want to view it, mainly to give ourselves a solid platform. It coincided with Josh having a little bit of a niggle.”

Coburn being out of the team has coincided with the good form of John Marquis, with the striker netting in his side’s defeat to Burton Albion and putting in two great performances in his side’s last two games against Oxford and Barnsley - despite not getting the goals his performances warranted.

He said: “For a player of Josh’s size, throwing him on for ten minutes, by the time that ten minutes has gone he’s only just getting warm. He’s a big unit. He’ll no doubt be between now and the end of the season will make a big impact for us. He’s such a talented boy.”

The Middlesbrough loanee has been a hit in Bristol, netting nine times in 23 appearances in blue and white and earning the name the Teesside Haaland during the earlier part of his loan spell.

Barton added: “A first spell out of the team, but that just gives him a bit of time to freshen up. If I am honest, if he doesn’t play another game for us, he has had a successful loan. He’s our second top scorer and came here late in terms of the window, had an injury to overcome, and had a phenomenal spell when he first got in the team.”

“Now he’s having a bit of a different spell, I’m absolutely confident now until the end of the season, he will add another four or five goals to what he has already got.”