As Bristol Rovers' attacking woes continue, one potential solution remains glaringly obvious

Bristol Rovers need goals, and desperately. There’s no hiding from it. A tough festive period has been made to look even more grimacing on the surface by the fact that the Gas are seriously struggling to create opportunities in the final third, managing just two shots on target in their last 443 minutes of football.

At the back, Rovers have generally been solid but there’s no doubt that countless heroics from goalkeeper Josh Griffiths has kept the goals conceded and clean sheet tallies at a pleasing enough amount. The shot stopper was integral to the Gas’ FA Cup progress at Barnsley as a goalless 120 minutes was followed by penalty shootout success while the likes of Connor Taylor, James Wilson, Taylor Moore and Clinton Mola were all superb in the 1-0 win at Mansfield Town the week prior.

If Griffiths wasn’t as good as he is and if Taylor and Wilson weren’t currently playing their best football in a Rovers shirt, you really worry where the Gas could be.

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Seeing last weekend’s game against Bolton Wanderers postponed may well prove to be a blessing for Matt Taylor’s side. They looked noticeably leggy in their seriously poor 3-0 defeat at Leyton Orient last time out and while they were facing an in-form promotion candidate, at home, the potential confidence damage from said loss was a concerning prospect.

By the time they kick off at Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon, they’ll have had the best part of 11 days away from the heat of battle and, although many argue that modern day footballers should be able to cope with the vigours of regularly playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, that’s why teams have squads and why, generally, those with the strongest depth enjoy the most success.

Extra rest or not, what should be an upbeat, cheery time of year is anything but in regards to the football with even the most optimistic of supporters seemingly struggling to get excited for the festive football period with the Gas coming up against two of the promotion favourites as well as an impressive Exeter City team and a Stevenage side currently above them in the table.

It is now looking increasingly clear that Taylor has to make some amendments otherwise Rovers could find themselves heading into the New Year in the relegation zone while the Gas manager’s position at the club currently is anything but stable.

As they say, putting the ball in the back of the net is the hardest thing in football but the struggle to produce meaningful creativity, particularly in recent matches, has been the major issue. What has been particularly frustrating of late though is the fact that the player who somehow still finds himself top of the chance creation table is still receiving severely limited minutes and that player is Luke Thomas.

Of course, before we really sink our teeth into it, it has to be noted that there will surely be a behind closed doors reason as to why the winger isn’t being selected. Taylor recently said in the press that he expects to see more from the wide man while also suggesting that there was a potential confidence issue but that surely can’t be the only grounds of his exclusion. Whatever the reasons, justifiable or not, Rovers’ current leading creative isn’t getting game time during a period where they are seriously struggling to create chances.

That’s not to suggest Thomas’ numbers are jaw-droppingly good. The 25-year-old has created 15 chances in League One, according to FotMob, with just three of them classified as ‘big chances’. However, he leads both tallies despite limited game time.

Grant Ward, Bryant Bilongo, Ruel Sotiriou, Joel Senior, Luke McCormick and Scott Sinclair have all created two big chances but when it comes to creating any sort of opportunity, Isaac Hutchinson and Shaq Forde are Thomas’ nearest competitors with 10 each.

Additionally, when the forward was in the team at the start of the season, he was largely playing out of position at right wing-back whereas now, the current set up with an attacking midfield trio alongside a back-four is perfect for his capabilities.

Last season’s tally of seven goals and eight assists in 46 appearances across all competitions was his career best but the winger still strived for more and was first to admit that his numbers could have been even better. For comparison, only Chris Martin (17) and Antony Evans (19) enjoyed a better goal contribution total with the latter getting a move to Huddersfield Town in the summer.

Therefore, there was excitement going into this campaign surrounding what the forward could do with the assumption he was headed in an upwards trajectory while also boasting notable potential. Even when it became clear that he would be starting the season as a wing-back, there was still confidence that he could still contribute in the final third.

Fast forward to the present day and, after starting seven of the opening eight league games as well as playing the full match against Cardiff City in the League Cup, Thomas has made just three appearances in League One, all of which brief cameos from the bench, alongside a few starts in the EFL Trophy and a more substantial substitute appearance in the FA Cup against Weston-super-Mare as the tie went to extra-time.

Even off the bench against Shrewsbury Town the wide man rattled the crossbar and in the dying stages of the Weston clash he set up Grant Ward’s stunner to put the tie to bed.

Last week, Dave Horseman said that the winger had felt something in training ahead of the Leyton Orient defeat, hence his absence from the squad, but considering he didn’t get on the pitch three days prior when Rovers’ FA Cup tie at Barnsley went to extra-time suggests he still would’ve struggled to get on the pitch at Brisbane Road had he been involved.

Admittedly, Thomas was ineffective in both EFL Trophy matches in which he got an opportunity to make a point whereas Isaac Hutchinson, for example, used the Exeter City defeat as a chance to prove why he should be a regular which is exactly what he’s become. The argument that it was a nothing game is valid to some degree but Hutchinson still saw it as a good opportunity to impress and took full advantage.

However, it’s how late in games where the Gas have needed an injection of life in the final third Thomas has been coming on that’s the hardest part to understand. Although there are numerous supporters calling for the winger to start in the league as soon as possible, it’s extremely unlikely that he’ll immediately get thrown in. But his last three league appearances against Shrewsbury, Crawley and Blackpool saw Thomas come on in the 91st, 76th and 69th minutes offering limited time to make an impact.

Hutchinson, Luke McCormick and Shaq Forde has become the recognised attacking midfield trio lately and all three have had bright spells in recent games of late but Rovers still need more potency in the final third with only one game in the last six seeing the Gas produce a double digit tally of shots (10 against Crawley).

Only Forde can truly rival Thomas' trickery and explosiveness when the latter is at his best while he's up there when it comes to pace too.

No one is expecting the 25-year-old to immediately be thrown into starting line ups but surely the club’s leading chance creator has to be given more of a look in over the coming weeks considering Rovers’ serious struggles creating chances?

He certainly wasn’t near his best in the opening stages of the campaign but he was also playing out of position and managed better numbers than his colleagues for creativity. Based on his displays last term, there’s so much more to come from Thomas which is why he deserves more substantial opportunities.

In a system that’s perfect for him, now seems to be the time to get the winger on the pitch for longer otherwise there will be genuine risk that the Gas could lose one of their best attacking options in January having not utilised him.

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