Joey Barton sounded a warning to Bristol Rovers’ rival League Two promotion candidates after his side continued their drive up the League Two table.The Pirates, who began the season slowly, are now within two points of the automatic promotion places after seeing off Harrogate 3-0 at the Memorial Stadium.Aaron Collins fired Rovers ahead against the run of play with a long-range shot after 3...Full Story »

Joey Barton was delighted at the way his Bristol Rovers side revived their play-off hopes with a hard-fought 2-1 Sky Bet League Two victory at Crawley.Manager Barton was critical of the display in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Newport  but admitted this was just the kind of reaction he was looking for.A goal in each half from former Crawley youth player Harry Anderson and top scorer Aaron ...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton was “proud of everyone at the football club” after a 1-1 draw with Exeter in front of a sell-out crowd of just under 10,000 at the Memorial Stadium.Despite seeing Luca Hoole’s first Rovers goal, a close-range shot from a 10th-minute corner, cancelled out by Jevani Brown’s well-struck drive 14 minutes later, Barton was in high spirits after ...Full Story »

Oxford manager Karl Robinson admitted his team’s exciting 4-2 comeback win over Cambridge was a fitting send-off for the late Joey Beauchamp.Regarded by many as Oxford’s greatest player, Beauchamp died last week, aged 50, and the fans sang his name throughout the match.Robinson said: “It’s been a hard week for the club and for me personally too.“But after this you c...Full Story »

Joey Barton called for his Bristol Rovers forwards to be more clinical despite seeing the Pirates thrash struggling Stevenage 4-0.Sam Finley, Elliot Anderson, Harry Anderson and Aaron Collins all scored for the visitors as they ran riot in a dominant display which Barton described as “men against boys”.The Pirates boss was thrilled with the performance but, after watching his side ta...Full Story »

Joey Barton was looking towards the League Two play-off zone after his improving Bristol Rovers side convincingly ended Sutton’s 12-match unbeaten run.Harry Anderson fired the hosts into a fourth-minute lead with a shot from just outside the box and they could have been out of sight at the break, most notably when Paul Coutts saw a 45th-minute penalty saved by Dean Bouzanis.Aaron Collins m...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton insisted his side were denied a ‘stonewall’ penalty during their goalless draw with in-form Mansfield.John-Joe O’Toole’s 64th-minute challenge on Aaron Collins inside the box provided the only major talking point at the Memorial Stadium as Nigel Clough’s Mansfield stretched their unbeaten League Two run to 11 games.Collins was convinc...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton hopes to have defender Connor Taylor available for the visit of Mansfield in Sky Bet League Two.Taylor was removed from the starting line-up before kick-off against Oldham in midweek after experiencing heart palpitations in the warm-up.He has been diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia and could undergo what Barton described as a “quite straightforwa...Full Story »

Queen’s Park claimed their first win of 2022 with a 2-1 victory over Dumbarton at The Energy Check Stadium.The hosts got the opener after six minutes when Luis Longstaff was on hand knock the rebound in at the back post after Bob McHugh’s shot rifled off the post.Dumbarton equalised through a Stuart Carswell penalty with 27 minutes gone after Gregg Wylde’s corner appeared to st...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton felt his side more than deserved their point as another late leveller earned them a 1-1 draw at Sutton.Anthony Evans’ 85th-minute penalty rescued a point for Rovers after Richie Bennett’s first-half opener at Gander Green Lane.Barton’s side have now picked up 10 points on their impressive six-game unbeaten run with goals in the last six minutes o...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton expressed growing pride in his team and club after an against-the-odds 1-0 victory over Walsall with 10 men.Aaron Collins won the game in the 90th minute, heading home from close range after Walsall goalkeeper Chris Rushworth had collided with Rovers substitute Harvey Saunders.Barton was particularly pleased with how his players coped after going a man down in the...Full Story »

Ice cold Joey Barton insisted he managed to keep his cool on the touchline – despite his Bristol Rovers team almost snatching a draw from the jaws of victory against second-bottom Scunthorpe.Josh Grant’s clinical finish, an Antony Evans penalty and a fine individual effort from Leon Clarke had the Gas cruising to a first away win since October on a chilly evening in Lincolnshire.Yet ...Full Story »

Leigh Griffiths scored from the penalty spot as Dundee progressed into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup with a 1-0 victory at League One Dumbarton.Dundee rarely threatened as they found it hard to break through a resolute Dumbarton defence, but the Dark Blues did enough to snap a six-game losing streak.Senior players Griffiths, Charlie Adam, Paul McMullan, Adam Legzdins and Liam Fontaine were...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton hailed the efforts of goalkeeper James Belshaw after two late goals rescued a poor performance in a 2-0 win over 10-man Hartlepool.Aaron Collins fired home from 10 yards after 87 minutes and Antony Evans made sure of the points with a superb stoppage-time free-kick after Hartlepool’s Jamie Sterry had been sent off for a foul which denied Collins a clear scor...Full Story »

Falkirk ended a run of four defeats on the spin in cinch League One with an emphatic 6-2 victory over Dumbarton at the Falkirk Stadium.Anton Dowds bagged a hat trick and strikes from Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, Aidan Keena and Callum Morrison helped the Bairns thrash Dumbarton in a result which leaves the Sons without a win in five.Cove Rangers extended their lead at the top to seven points and made ...Full Story »

Joey Barton praised the resilience of Bristol Rovers striker Aaron Collins after his two goals helped sink battling Rochdale in a 4-2 win.Rovers went ahead in the 10th minute when Antony Evans curled a free-kick beyond the reach of Jay Lynch and were two up in the 51st minute through Collins’ 25-yard rocket.But Rochdale replied nine minutes later when Jake Beesley flicked home a Corey O&rs...Full Story »

Joey Barton admitted his Bristol Rovers side had to be more disciplined after they finished the 2-1 defeat to third-placed Port Vale with nine men.Sam Finley was dismissed for an off-the-ball incident in the 15th minute and Cian Harries was red-carded for a 77th-minute foul on Ben Garrity that denied a scoring opportunity.Vale led 2-0 at the break thanks to Garrity, who volleyed home from the ed...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton wants his side to bag a “nice” opponent in Monday’s FA Cup third-round draw after they saw off League Two rivals Sutton with a 2-1 comeback win on Saturday.Sutton struck in the 50th minute when Will Randall-Hurren darted in to convert Donovan Wilson’s cross, but – seven minutes later – Aaron Collins levelled from the penalty spo...Full Story »

Furious Joey Barton launched an astonishing attack on his Bristol Rovers players after seeing nine-man Salford rescue a 1-1 draw deep into injury-time.Rovers were cruising thanks to Sam Nicholson’s early goal with Salford then suffering straight red cards to Matty Willock and Ash Hunter.But after the visitors missed a string of chances, Salford struck in the fifth minute of added time thro...Full Story »

Joey Barton praised the character of his Bristol Rovers team after substitute Sion Spence had netted twice in the second half of extra time to settle a memorable FA Cup first round replay win over Oxford.Barton’s League Two team trailed their League One opponents 3-1 but hit back to earn a second round tie at home to Sutton.The home side took a 48th-minute lead when Sam Finlay fired home f...Full Story »