Top scorer to start against his former club - Bristol Rovers predicted XI vs Newport County

Bristol Rovers come into the game on Saturday afternoon off the back of a 1-0 win versus Barrow in midweek.

Despite having Niall Canavan sent off in the first half, Barrow did well to keep Rovers out until a moment worthy of winning any game from Anthony Evans.

Joey Barton made three changes to the side that drew 1-1 with high flying Exeter City on Saturday, with Aaron Collins, Sam Finley and Paul Coutts all making way to give starts for Leon Clarke, Glenn Whelan and Nick Anderton.

In his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, the Rovers gaffer hinted that minimal changes to the squad will be made.

He said: “For us, if it’s not broken we won’t be fixing it, but also if there is an opportunity to freshen it up we’ve got more than 11 good players and we’ll do that.”

Josh Grant and Alfie Kilgour are still some way away from being close to a first-team return so they aren’t in contention for this weekend. .

As for the team to take on Newport County, we’re expecting it to look something like this.

Goalkeeper

An 11th clean sheet of the season for James Belshaw should see the summer signing maintain his number one spot. No signs of an injury to the Gas shot stopper means change between the sticks is highly unlikely for Bristol Rovers.

Defence

Despite playing the full 90 minutes on Tuesday night, Luca Hoole should be good to go for Joey Barton’s side. His consistently good form throughout the season means he has asserted himself as the first choice Right Back for the Gas.

Connor Taylor and James Connolly have been immense for Rovers of late. Both have impressed with their composure on the ball and excellent defensive ability for two young lads making their debut season in league football. Joey Barton clearly trusts the pair to keep the ball out of the back net as well as playing crucial roles in the way that Rovers play.

Nick Anderton was substituted after an hour on Tuesday, making way for Aaron Collins, meaning Harry Anderson, who has been excellent wherever Joey Barton has played him, was forced to fill in at left-back. With Josh Grant and Trevor Clarke still on the sidelines, Barton has at times been forced to play Anderson there on numerous occasions this season, but by doing this, he can make room for another attacking option further up the pitch.

Midfield

Glenn Whelan captained the side on Tuesday night, however it is impossible to ignore the recent form of  Paul Coutts. After a rest on Tuesday night, the Scotsman should be fully fit for the tie in South Wales.

Sam Finley has been consistently brilliant whenever he’s pulled on the quarters this season. Following a full rest on Tuesday night, Finley looks set to have recovered from the illness that forced him off versus Exeter last Saturday, meaning a return to the starting eleven is on the cards.

Since arriving on loan from Newcastle, Elliot Anderson has shown great amounts of maturity and ability in his performances. His confidence is sky high after his first senior goal, coming at the 4-0 win over Stevenage a few weeks back, and there is no reason to suggest that the 19-year-old should be dropped.

With an absolute wonder strike on Tuesday night, Anthony Evans has proved once again how valuable he is to the side. It wasn’t his finest performance but his capability to produce a moment of magic means his spot in the starting eleven should still be intact.

Sam Nicholson’s form of late has steadily started to improve. He has begun to look a lot more dangerous with the ball at his feet, but just can’t seem to consistently find that bit of end product he’s looking for. Either way, his threat when running at defenders can be frightening and should cause Newport problems on Saturday.

Attack

Aaron Collins should return to face his old side this weekend. He was rested on Tuesday night, but with the game still hanging in the balance, Joey Barton’s hand was forced into bringing on the now joint top scorer, but should still be fit to play this Saturday.

Bristol Rovers XI to face Newport County (4-2-3-1): James Belshaw, Luca Hoole, Connor Taylor, James Connolly, Harry Anderson; Paul Coutts, Sam Finley; Sam Nicholson, Anthony Evans, Elliot Anderson, Aaron Collins.