Bristol Rovers' season is beginning to falter out and there's already a feeling that many already have one eye on what happens in the summer.
Joey Barton admitted in the defeat to Portsmouth on Saturday that he wished the 2022/23 campaign would end today, and admitted the struggles of motivating the team at this stage of the competition. Rovers are seven points off of their 52-point target set at the start of the season which would ensure their survival.
Survival in the first year after promotion from League Two was always going to be the first objective, but a good run of form just before Christmas, had fans, players and staff alike wondering if a play-off push was a possibility. Since the turn of the New Year, it's been hard to get a consistent run of form, with multiple factors such as a spate of injuries, refereeing decisions going against them and individual errors.
This summer is set to a big one, and there will be several decisions to be made as to who stays and who goes. This season there has been a reliance on loan players, and once they return to their parent clubs, Barton will have to use his contacts book again to persuade Premier League and Championship clubs to take their players off them and develop them.
BristolWorld takes a look at the players that could likely leave the Memorial Stadium this summer alongside a couple of maybes and the stars that definitely won’t be going anywhere.
17. Antony Evans - 5
Evans hasn’t been as influential as he was last year but he’s still put in some good performances. He’s had to become a more defensive midfielder, but seven GA is still alright. | Getty Images Photo: Harry Trump/Getty Images
18. Lamare Bogarde - 6
A solid find from Barton. Not a lot of expectation was on Bogarde when he joined, but he’s quickly become someone that Rovers fans like. | Getty Images Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
19. Luke McCormick - 4
Unfortunately McCormick’s first season back at Rovers hasn’t gone to plan, and he’s falling flat from the hype surrounding his return. He’s struggled to get in the team, and most recently was warned by Joey Barton. McCormick needs to prove his worth in the next few games. | Getty Images Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images
20. Glenn Whelan - 3
Whelan was meant to have retired, but joined as a player-coach, and has perhaps made more appearances than expected. | Getty Images Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images