Talking points from Rovers Under-23s win at Derby County last night.

A NEW CONTENDER

There has been a long-running battle between the young Rovers centre halves to be the next cab off the rank. Scott Wharton got his chance first, and at 23, and with over 100 senior appearances to this name, is a clear frontrunner in terms of quality, age and experience, but now faces an extended period of time on the sidelines.

Joe Grayson, 21, was handed his chance in the senior side in an EFL Cup tie in August 2018, before then spending the second half of that season with Grimsby Town in League Two, playing eight times and scoring twice.

When an injury crisis hit in March 2019, with Grayson and Wharton out on loan, Tyler Magloire, now 22 played consecutive Championship fixtures.

At the end of last season, with Rovers having little to play for, Hayden Carter started the final two matches of the campaign, a real rise for the 21-year-old who had started last season trying to establish himself in the Under-23s set-up. Carter has been an unused substitute eight times this season, with just 14 minutes of first-team action, but played the full game last night.

The issue for Magloire and Grayson is they have both had extended periods out injured, denying them more opportunities, Grayson only just back from a year out injured, while Magloire had four months out after returning from a mixed spell in League One with Rochdale. He’s due back from a loan spell at Hartlepool in the National League next month, but hasn’t started the last two matches there.

Sam Barnes didn’t feature last night, but has been a regular for the Under-23s in the last two season, an impressive reader of the game, and with good ability to play with the ball at his feet. Lacks the physicality of Rovers’ other central defensive options, and would benefit from a spell out on loan.

One player who has got fans asking about his progress is Louie Annesley. The 20-year-old, signed from Lincoln Red Imps in January 2019, has played eight times this season for the Under-23s, while he has 15 caps for the Gibraltar national team.

Annesley is 6’4, left-footed, and also able to slot into midfield. He’s enjoyed a good start to the season for Billy Barr’s side, and while unlikely to be in Tony Mowbray’s thoughts just yet, has started to put his name in the conversation among Rovers’ young defenders. 'The Rock' is certainly worth keeping around, with his contract set to expire in the summer.

NOW OR NEVER

Harry Chapman scored twice more last night, and since re-joining Rovers in January 2019, he’s scored eight goals and laid on eight assists in 17 appearances at this level. But he’s yet to make a real push for the senior team.

When Chapman has made the senior squad, he’s tended to get minutes on the pitch, coming off the bench in three consecutive fixtures at the end of 2019 and early 2020.

He managed just seven appearances in all last season, and this pre-season should have been his moment, with Rovers short of attacking options, yet Tyrhys Dolan stole the show, and the opportunity, and has never looked back.

Chapman’s appearance at Stoke City last weekend was his seventh so far, already matching the tally of last season.

Has he deserved more? For his good numbers at Under-23s level, his performance levels haven’t always been warranting of more first-team minutes, more flashes of quality than all-round good play. His willingness to track back has been called into question.

Yet when he looks focused and switched on, he can be a difference-maker, scoring twice last night and having a hand in another, and he certainly looks better playing from the left than he does the right, where his first-team minutes have been of late.

We’ve had several now or never situations with Chapman over the course of the last year or so, but at 23, he is no longer a prospect. It will be interesting to see what decision is made if the phone rings in January. It has before, and Rovers have turned requests down, but it may well be best all-round should he go and play regularly, something he’s not had throughout his career.

SIGNING OFF IN STYLE

Rovers will end 2020 second in the Premier League 2 table, with only Chelsea above them. While where a side finishes isn’t the be-all-and-end-all, player progression is, it is a spot of kudos for Billy Barr and his young side, and something the players will rightly be proud of.

They have now won six of their 11 games, and seven out of 12 in 2020. Four times they have now won on the road, at Liverpool, Derby, Brighton and Southampton. Barr has been a hard man to please at times, but those statistics are particularly pleasing.

Unfortunately, with the scrapping of the Premier League Cup, Premier League International Cup, and the Lancashire Senior Cup this year, it means the Under-23s will play just their 22 league fixtures. They don’t play again for another month, in that time they will likely field loan enquiries for several of their players who have put themselves in the shop window.

Brad Lyons now has six goals in six games, and looks above the level, particularly physically, and ready to test himself in the EFL, with one League Two club thought to be watching his progress with interest. He finished off a lovely team move to put Rovers 1-0 ahead, and his ability to break from midfield and finish off moves is a trait that will earn him a career.