Bristol Rovers star earned pay rise as Joey Barton says motivation is there for others to follow

James Belshaw deserved a pay rise, admits Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton after he signed a new two-year deal.

Belshaw, put pen to paper on new terms that will keep him at the Memorial Stadium until the end of the 2024 season.

His former deal had seen his contract expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, but now there is the security of a further year with the club.

As a result, the former Harrogate Town goalkeeper has received a slight pay increase, which has been a reward for his performances this season.

“I felt as a club it was right to bring him in line from a paying perspective,” said the 39-year-old.

“He is somebody who has solved a problem for us in terms of having a consistent number one who is robust and can play a large portion of the games.

“The fact he has taken the performance on and lifted the jersey to an even higher level. I felt that whilst it’s important to have many things on and you’re in the midst of the current season, you also have to start making plans for next season and beyond.”

Belshaw was initially brought in to act as cover for Finnish goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola, but through the Finn’s injuries, he has cemented himself as the first choice goalkeeper.

The 31-year-old, who had to go on trial to earn a contract at Rovers after being discarded by Harrogate, has made 14 clean sheets this season, with 10 of those coming since the start of 2022.

He was the second player to commit his future to the club after right-back Luca Hoole signed new terms after becoming a crucial member of the first-team squad.

With Belshaw’s deal, he hopes that it can act as motivation for those contracted that if they show the form, they can get an improved deal.

Barton added: “We wanted to reward the progress and show the rest of the lads that if you do well for us we will bring you into the right line from the pay structure.

“We won’t just tie you to a contract and keep you tied there because that is what happened when we were negotiating.

“If you’re our number one, I always felt managers got more out of me if they paid me correctly.

“It’s not saying that you have to give everybody the most money you can give them but when somebody comes along and says you’ve done a great job for us and you get paid that and you feel you’re getting paid that, I feel it’s common courtesy to pay people appropriately for the job they are doing.”

There are still a number of futures to be sorted out from now until the end of the season and some will hinge on what division Rovers are playing next season with the team involved in the promotion race.

A win over Bradford City put them up a place into fifth and they are level on points with four teams, ranging from third to sixth place, highlighting the competitiveness of the league.

But as Belshaw has proved, new deals can be offered even in the midst of a promotion battle, with one eye on the future as other clubs come sniffing.

Ultimately, some new deals will only be finalised when players know whether they are playing in League One or League Two, with the likes of Antony Evans and Sam Nicholson still yet to commit their futures.

“That’s what we are looking for,” Barton revealed. We are trying to tie down our key assets. We’ve got some players out of contract at the end of the season and some who will be worrying about their futures. I think Belly gets married in the summer and they are human beings like everyone else.

“They want to know where they are working, whether they can buy or rent a house or whatever it is. I think if you’re sure about somebody like Belly, then it’s stupid to allow him to get in the last year of his deal. You might as well get him secured and everybody is happy with it.

“If you get promoted you’ve got a goalkeeper who can deal with League One and if you don’t you’ve got a goalkeeper who is very good at what you need to do in League Two.

“For us, it ticks a number of boxes. We want to get to the end of the season and hopefully have all our assets secured but it depends on what division you are in, what salary and what opportunity you can offer. At the end of the day, to be successful in keeping your best players you need to get promoted.”