Jack Sparkes is one of only three Bristol Rovers players to have played every minute of every Sky Bet League Two fixture this term and is part of a new but ever-improving defensive unit.
The Pirates showed plenty of courage on Saturday, with Colchester United starting quickly and creating plenty of chances before the Gas scored against the run of play through Fabrizio Cavegn, who raced into the box to get onto the end of Alfie Chang's pass before thumping his strike beyond Tom Smith.
The U's netted the equaliser soon after the break, with Micah Mbick converting from close range. However, neither side could find a winner, with the points shared at the JobServe Community Stadium.
The Pirates are unbeaten in their previous seven fixtures in all competitions, keeping three clean sheets, with Sparkes sure the defence will only get stronger.
"We looked good defensively. It was a weird game—they didn’t have many chances in the first half, and then I felt like we dropped a little deeper with not as much pressure on the ball, which invited them on a bit in the second half.
"We can only get stronger. We’ve kept a few clean sheets recently. We're disappointed not to come away with one today—they didn’t really test our goal apart from the goal. But we’ll build on the clean sheets we’ve had as it gives us a platform when we do keep them.”
The Gas had won their previous four fixtures in the fourth tier and were looking to make it five on the bounce in the league for the first time since March 2016. Nevertheless, despite the U's only winning one of their eight fixtures this term, the hosts were never going to make life easy for Rovers under manager Danny Cowley.
Reflecting on the fixture, Sparkes was disappointed his side could not extend their winning run but took the positives from gaining a seventh point from three away trips.
"I'm disappointed, but at the same time, when you don’t play as well as you can, sometimes it’s good to just take the point and move on to the next game.
"Obviously, we looked into them during the week to try and exploit their weaknesses and understand their strengths. We knew what to expect coming into the game. On the whole, I think we handled it very well. They only got in behind once or twice but didn’t manage to score from getting in behind or down the sides. Their goal is disappointing, but we’ll look back on it and get better for next time.”
The Pirates had a difficult start to the 2025/26 campaign and were without a point after three fixtures, but fortunes have turned since a 0-0 draw with Oldham Athletic at The Memorial Stadium, with a clean sheet and a draw giving Darrell Clarke's men a platform to build from.
Results have turned for the Gas, but Sparkes has always had confidence that things would change for the better, with the left-back putting it down to hard work and the backing of Head Coach Clarke.
“I think it’s just down to hard work, to be honest. Even at the start of the season when we weren’t winning or were losing games, we still had belief," he said. "We were eager to get out on the training pitch and improve as a team. The gaffer’s been brilliant with us—he’s given us the confidence to win games and play good football.
"That’s what we’ve done in the last few matches. Maybe not today, but like I said, it’s still a strong performance in terms of not getting beaten and limiting their chances. We’ll take the point.”
"I think if we want to get to where we want to get to then I think all around the pitch we need to improve. It’s difficult because it’s a new team with lots of new players, and we’ve switched formations quite a bit. We’re still working each each other out in a way, but we’ll get there. The fact we’re doing well right now, with five or six games unbeaten, it's positive.”
Sparkes was the first of 14 summer signings for the Gas and is one of only three players in Rovers' squad to have played every minute of every fixture in Sky Bet League Two, with only Kamil Conteh and Alfie Kilgour able to say the same. He has made a big impact on the squad with his chance creation from left-back, with the 24-year-old looking to play as much as possible.
“That’s what I came here to do—play as many games as possible and help the team," said the defender. "It’s positive that I’m playing, but everyone still needs to be ready. At any point, there could be injuries or the gaffer might pick you, so we need everyone fit and ready.”
