Rovers reporter Rich Sharpe picks out five talking points from the win at AFC Wimbledon.

CREDIT ALL ROUND

The first mention must go to the AFC Wimbledon groundstaff.

On arrival at the ground, the pitch was fully covered, and within 45 minutes they were stripped back to reveal what looked a perfect surface.

It passed the referee’s two visits out on to it before kick-off and withstood the freezing temperatures as the game passed without incident.

Rovers were desperate for this game to go ahead, particularly with Wigan seeing their fixture postponed, and praise must go to the groundstaff for the quality of the pitch.

Credit too to the 778 Rovers fans who packed in to one side of the Cherry Red Records Stadium. It wasn’t the most comfortable of vantage points, huddled up in one corner of the ground for many, but they would care little as Rovers got the job done.

In a month which contained three other away trips, including Plymouth and Portsmouth on a Tuesday night, they were deserving of the appreciation they received from the players. 

SCOREBOARD PRESSURE

Rovers have gone from being the hunter to the hunted, the chaser to the chased.

They head in to Sunday’s game with Wigan six points clear of the Latics having trailed them by 12 before the October 28 meeting at the DW Stadium.

They may have played four games more than the Latics, but a chance to dent their promotion hopes in Sunday’s game offers Rovers with a real incentive.

Four straight victories have allowed Tony Mowbray’s side to establish a four point lead over Shrewsbury Town, but in a division where the matches are often tight, games in hand are never straight forward.

All Rovers can do is keep applying pressure, asking questions of their closest rivals.

A 12 point haul in the space of 14 days has certainly ramped things up, with Rovers in the midst of potentially a season-defining few days.

AWAY DAY FORM

That is now 11 victories on the road in 18 away matches, with 32 goals scored and 17 conceded. And in fact many of Rovers’ most comfortable victories have come on the road, this their third 3-0 success in all.

Most pleasing as well as the victory will have been a first clean sheet away from home since the November win at Bury, also by a 0-3 scoreline.

The defeat at Plymouth is very much showing up as a blip, with Rovers following that up with 13 points from a possible 15.

Rovers faced four away trips during the month of February, including trips to Plymouth, Portsmouth and AFC Wimbledon, the last two coming on Tuesday nights.

Their attitude and application at Wimbledon was impressive on a night when it was about setting up Sunday’s big one with Wigan Athletic.

BENNO OFF THE MARK

There was no smile bigger than Elliott Bennett’s when his 25-yard effort found the bottom corner.

It was his first goal since the defeat at Reading in April, something which had clearly been weighing on his mind.

His performance deserved the goal, particularly in the second half in which he was a driving force from the Rovers midfield when he was moved in to a more advanced position.

He got on the ball more and in to areas which enabled him to get shots off.

Bennett is likely to start in the middle of the park against Wigan on Sunday alongside Richie Smallwood and a performance similar to that against Shrewsbury in January’s 3-1 win from the pair and Rovers will have a real platform to work from.

FINE MARGINS

It is one of many football clichés but on fine margins are games, and promotions, won.

Rovers took the lead when Bradley Dack’s header was adjudged to have crossed the line, with the referee’s assistant on hand to award the goal with no need for any technology.

With the game still 1-0 and far from out of sight in the second half, Harry Forrester thumped an effort narrowly over the bar after cutting in from the left.

Rovers then went up the other end, and with a strike from similar range, Elliott Bennett was to find the bottom corner and with that the game was done.

It was the extra quality in the end which proved the difference for Rovers, none moreso than Dack’s second of the night.

With a winning mentality now instilled, Rovers are finding a way to the three points, something that must continue in the remaining 11 games.