Joey Barton on the comparison between Bristol Rovers stalwart and Stoke City defender

Joey Barton says Bristol Rovers defender Connor Taylor deserves credit after he was compared with Stoke City’s Harry Souttar by his manager.

Taylor’s parent club boss Michael O’Neill drew a comparison between the Gas defender and Souttar, who is a first team player with the Potters.

Souttar worked under Barton at his former club Fleetwood Town for a season-and-a-half helping them to the League One play-offs, which was brought up by O’Neill.

And now there is a similar story with Taylor, who has been a stalwart in the Rovers backline, in what has been his first season in professional senior football.

Taylor has made 40 appearances in League Two this year and has kept an impressive 15 clean sheets in what has been a youthful back line.

"The only comparison they really have is they’re both really tall, they both play for Stoke and they’re both defenders, so I can see how it easily gets into,” said Barton.

"For Connor to be compared to Harry by his club manager is an enormous tip of the cap to him, because Harry’s 18 months with us at Fleetwood were absolutely superb and then he has gone and had a really good spell in Stoke’s first team and become a major player for them before he picked up a cruciate ligament injury.

"So to hear Michael speak about Connor in the same ilk is really pleasing. It’s the reason you bring lads on loan and clearly the reason Stoke are trusting you with their young players.”

Souttar first worked with Barton in the 2018/19 season and played 11 times under Barton, helping them to an 11th placed finish. A year later, having just turned 20, he had 34 appearances as they reached the play-offs.

He played in the same team as current Gas captain Paul Coutts, as well as Glenn Whelan and Harvey Saunders.

And after returning to the Midlands, Souttar benefitted as those loan spells under Barton, carved him into a Championship player, where he made 38 appearances, whilst also earning 20 caps for Australia.

He made a positive start to this season, making 16 starts but an anterior cruciate ligament injury brought an end to his campaign.

Taylor himself has had a brilliant first full season away from the bet365 Stadium, earning a Young Player of the Year nomination, whilst he has also played regularly in a high stakes promotion battle.

But whilst there are some comparisons between the two, Souttar was a regular in the level above, which may mean a longer wait for Taylor in his route into the Stoke City first team.

"He’s got a bit of work to do,” Barton said. Harry, don’t forget, came to us at Fleetwood in League One and this is League Two.

“That next challenge for him is going up another level and playing against the next tier of player and it will be interesting to see how he handles it.

"And then again going back to his parent club at Stoke in the Championship and testing himself against that level of player, but all the early indicators are he is taking everything in his stride like a duck to water and I would imagine, based on the person I know, his mental fortitude gives him a right chance.

"Stoke are really lucky. They’ve got two good centre-backs in H and Connor and the future bodes well for them."

Souttar’s time spent with Barton and his transition into a Championship player is the evident platform that Taylor can follow.

Stoke have a trust in Joey Barton to work with their younger players and it could bode well going forward. Should they believe Taylor needs another year out on loan, Bristol Rovers could be first in line to take him.

Or should there be a similar player comes along, they would make Barton and his side aware, which shows the positive relationships he has built up with higher division clubs.