Bristol Rovers’ surprise package who went from unknown quantity to guaranteed starter

When James Connolly signed for Bristol Rovers in January, he was a bolt out of the blue and an unknown quantity.

Announced as a signing on the morning of the Peterborough United match, he was thrown into the mix and was handed his first professional start on the same day.

To add more drama into it, his new manager, Joey Barton was absent after contracting COVID-19, so he had to impress assistant manager Andy Mangan and then wait for his opportuntiy in League Two.

But since that respectable performance at London Road, where the Gas had a respectable 2-1 loss to Championship opposition, the defender has emerged from the shadows as another one of the beacons of light in this youthful side.

In January, there was a demand from a section of the supporters to recruit an ‘experienced’ centre-back after Mark Hughes left for Plymouth Argyle.

Hughes played only six times for Rovers before calling time on his career but fans felt with what was a youthful side, an experienced head would benefit someone alongside Connor Taylor.

Alfie Kilgour, who himself is only 23, was perhaps an option but injuries have kept him sidelined, whilst Cian Harries was another suggestion but he has been ousted from the first-team picture.

But as deadline day came, a centre-back wasn’t mentioned by Barton and instead he wanted and got midfielders in Elliot Anderson and Jon Nolan.

Connolly, up to that point had just four senior appearances to his name and Kilgour was preferred in the win over Hartlepool United.

But since a season-ending injury to Kilgour, Connolly has been ever present in the side, racking up 1530 minutes in the blue and white quarters.

In the 17 games he's played, he's recorded nine clean sheets, which shows that if you build from the back, success will come in attack, with the likes of Anderson and Aaron Collins doing the business up top.

There’s a feeling of calmness amongst the backline with Connolly, who went under pressure, nine times out of ten, plays the simple ball back to James Belshaw for him to clear or move up the pitch.

He’s also not afraid to get into the face of opponent and in almost every game, he throws himself in the way of shots like any defender should.

All that is missing now is perhaps a first senior goal in football but given the defence has only conceded nine this year and scored 25, that would only be a bonus to what has can be deemed as one of Barton’s successful loans.

Given at the start of the year, not many fans knew who he was, it’s hard to imagine the team without the 20-year-old who has built up a strong partnership with fellow loanee Connor Taylor.

Both play with an experienced head on young shoulders, coping with the demands of rough and tumble of League Two, earning shut outs against some of the most prolific attacks in the division.

His performances whilst out on loan haven’t gone amiss with the wider football public either, unbeknown to perhaps many is that he qualifies for Wales through parentage. He wasn’t included in Paul Bodin’s squad but that wasn’t down to his ability or being low in the pecking order. Instead it was through discussions between Barton and Bodin, with the former expressing his important on keeping both Connolly and Luca Hoole for the remainder of the season.

Out of the two starting centre-backs for Rovers, it is perhaps Connolly who is the likelier to stay given his contract with Cardiff City is up at the end of the season.

Signed by Steve Morison, who was under-23’s manager when he brought him to South Wales, Connolly was named captain of the young Bluebirds and they were competitive until Morison was called to manage the first-team.

Cardiff have recently handed a new contract to young defender Oliver Denham, who plays in the same role as Connolly.

They also have Mark McGuinness, Curtis Nelson, as well as Aden Flint and Sean Morrison on their books, though the latter are out of contract at the end of the season.

So when Connolly returns in the summer, there will be a key decision to make on whether he has a future with their first-team or whether his football will be played elsewhere.

If indeed his future does lie away from Cardiff then his experience at Rovers has put them at the top of the queue to secure his signature, should they wish to pursue it.

Barton on a number of occasions has brought up perhaps other managers failings, such as Simon Weaver’s decision to allow James Belshaw to leave Harrogate, so maximum efforts will be made to pursue Connolly on a longer deal.

He was a long-term target of the club and in fact in the summer, he was on their radar but he opted to join Cardiff after leaving Blackburn Rovers.

One thing that works in their favour is that the player has publicly admitted how much he’s enjoying his time at the Memorial Stadium.

From playing in front of a handful of spectators against players his age or younger to now playing in front of sold out home crowds and packed out away ends, he has more than adapted to senior level football.

Connolly said: “It has been a surprise. When I came here, I wanted to play as much as possible, but the gaffer has thrown me in, maybe through a little bit of luck.

“I love it at Bristol Rovers, it's such a good club. The best club I've been at probably. The fans and the lads are really good. I love the gaffer and all the coaching staff. I'm really enjoying it.”

So whether Connolly’s a six-month loan that Rovers fan made the unwritten rule of falling or whether there’s scope for him to be one of the first signings of the summer, his time at the club will be remembered by the fans as a young player who quickly become a Gashead.