League One outfit Bristol Rovers managed to squeeze through to the second round of the FA Cup after a 1-0 win over Rochdale at the weekend.
The Gas seemed to be struggling to find a breakthrough against the League Two side, but that was until Scott Sinclair, who was making his first Rovers start since joining the club last month, scored from close range.
The 33-year-old joined the League One side last month on a short-term contract, making it 18 years since he first played for the club.
Sinclair joined Bristol Rovers’ academy at the age of eight but only went on to make two cameo appearances off the bench before joining Premier League side Chelsea.
18 years on, Sinclair was without a club after departing Championship side Preston North End when his contract expired at the end of the season. However, last month it was revealed that the 33-year-old had re-joined the Gas, signing a short-term contract as both Joey Barton and Sinclair admitted they “wanted to take a longer and closer look at each other before committing to a longer deal.”
Now a month into his contract, Sinclair has made his first start for the League One team and scored his first goal. After the game, Rovers' boss Barton admitted that Sinclair could be a "big player" for the Gas, and moments like his goal are reasons why they want him to stay beyond January.
Barton said, via Bristol Live: “For us, it was a case of getting him in the building,” Barton said. “He’s enjoying his football here, he’s obviously playing well, and he’ll only continue to improve with the regular rhythm of games.
“I would imagine, if he’s playing well and he’s enjoying it, it gives us a better opportunity of keeping him beyond January. If bigger clubs come calling it could be quite difficult but, he is a Gashead, isn’t he?”
Barton continued: “You don’t actually need speed if you’ve got a really quick mind; you can be quick in the body but slow in the mind and also be really slow in the body but quick in the mind,” Barton added.
“I think he has been a player who has been quick in the body, he’s still alright by the way - he’s looked after himself superbly, but obviously the amount of experience he’s got in the mind. You can see when the ball comes to him, he just takes care of it, it’s a friend of his.
“The goal’s an experience goal; just gambling, getting off the back of a run and into a goalscoring area and gets himself a tap-in. That is not easy, although he makes it look really easy because it’s an intelligent movement. But he was constantly a safe option, whenever we went into him first half - it looked like he was going to be our player who opened up the door.
“He’s played for some big, big football clubs, so for us to add him to our group at the time we added him is a really big positive and he’s shown why. I thought he was exceptional. He gets the minutes in the tank, and, over the course of this season, I think he’s going to be a big player for us.”
The Verdict
This could potentially be Sinclair’s last contract in football, and some would say it’s very poetic that he’s returned to the club where it all started for him.
Signing a short-term contract was the right move for both parties. Barton needs to see what level Sinclair is at and whether he still has that hunger left. While Sinclair needs to make sure Bristol Rovers is the right environment for him at this stage of his career.
However, if both feel it will be good to stick around, then moments like Saturday are things Sinclair can still bring to Rovers. If the 33-year-old can get up to match sharpness, then he could be a real threat on the wings for Barton’s men and someone who could pick up points on his own.
Furthermore, as Barton says, he’s a Gashead, and the Rovers faithful will love seeing one of their own playing week in and week out.