Ollie Dewsbury certainly proved to be a super substitute for Bristol Rovers against Stockport County and is looking to impress again when the Gas face Bath City on Wednesday night.
The 17-year-old made six appearances for the Pirates in Sky Bet League One last season and has made an immediate impression on Head Coach Darrell Clarke. Playing an hour in Rovers' pre-season opener against Chippenham Town, the forward played a further 45 minutes against Stockport County.
With Rovers 2-0 down, Dewsbury halved the deficit with a cool finish before setting up Luke Thomas for the equaliser. The Gas could not hold onto the draw in the fixture, falling to a 3-2 defeat in the final stages, but there were still plenty of positives to take.
The Pirates displayed plenty of fight and resilience in the heat to get level against a Stockport side that finished in the Sky Bet League One playoffs last term. Training twice a day regularly through the week in Spain, Dewsbury was pleased with the game against the Hatters and the personality his side displayed.
“Most of all, it’s for the fitness,” he said. “You get to know each other and how each other plays. It was definitely well worth it, and you’ve got to take the positives out of it, really.
“That [reaction] is one of the things that the coaches have driven into us for next season. It's about reactions and showing no disappointment. So, you can definitely take the positives out of it.”
He later added: “The whole team are looking to get better each week, showing the brilliant fans that came out to Spain what we can do.”
Dewsbury finished his chance like a seasoned professional against Stockport. After Shaq Forde won possession high up the pitch for Rovers, the ball dropped to the 17-year-old, who dribbled forward before taking his time to roll the ball down the right side of the goal.
Moments later, the attacker had the opportunity to double his tally, but slid a clever pass across to Thomas to crash in the Pirates' second goal from close range. Dewsbury was delighted with his contributions and suggested he almost had too much time to score.
“I was buzzing with the goal and the assist to LT,” he reflected. “It was more about decision making for me, really. I thought I took it quite well, so I was pleased.
“It was almost too much time. I had a lot of time to think, so I just composed myself and slotted it away.”
Minutes are coming thick and fast for everyone in the squad, with Rovers still having four pre-season fixtures before their opening game of the Sky Bet League Two season against Harrogate Town at The Memorial Stadium.
As a result, Clarke has plenty of time to assess his options, with Dewsbury desperate to display his quality and impress the coaching staff.
“I am enjoying the minutes to try and show everyone what I’m capable of and how I can play,” he said. “I think against Chippenham I did alright, and today, to get on the scoresheet, I was really impressed.
“Darrell has been brilliant. John Stead, Rhys Carr, and all of the coaches have been really good. Training has been amazing out here; I’ve really enjoyed it. They have been really good, drilling in the same stuff every day.”
Just a matter of days after returning from southern Spain, the Gas are back in action against National League South team Bath City on Wednesday night.
For Dewsbury, he knows what to expect from the non-league outfit after loan spells at Yate Town and Taunton Town last term. He is excited about getting out on the pitch again and said he learnt a lot from his temporary spell away from the Club.
"That’s one I’m looking forward to," said Dewsbury. "Against Bath and Yeovil, I’m looking to impress again and just carry on playing the way I am.
"It’s so much different from youth football. Going out on loan has done me the world of good. Just the experiences you get and the stuff you learn every game, I’ll know what it’ll be like and how tough they’ll be."
