Chris Martin’s purple patch could turn to gold as Bristol Rovers striker hits career high

It’s quite incredible to think that Chris Martin hasn’t had a run of form in front of goal as good or even better than his current streak for Bristol Rovers given the career that he’s had but, according to the striker himself, there have been very few occasions, if ever, where he has been scoring as frequently as he has of late.

Eleven goals in his last 11 league matches has seen the 35-year-old fire up the goal scoring charts in League One and is now firmly in the conversation to lift the golden boot come the end of April with 15 so far this season.

The former Scotland international’s latest proved to be enough to secure three points for the Gas away at Leyton Orient on Saturday as he continues to marvel in front of goal with no other striker in the top four divisions outranking him for goals in 2024.

“I think that’s 11 in league games,” Martin exclaimed post-match. “There’s not been many times, maybe once, if I’ve ever done that so I’m just really enjoying my football and I’m feeling really confident every time I step out onto the pitch with the lads behind me chances are going to be created.

“I think you’ve seen that again today. Antony Evans has got an absolute wand of a right foot and it’s just about trying to time my movement which obviously I’ve had a lot of time to practise over my career – it’s been a long one. I’ve been trying to perfect that over the last 17-odd years and thankfully that came off again today.

“I feel extremely confident that I’m going to continue to be able to add to that I think with that quality. Scott Sinclair, LT, Jevani with the one last week. There’s an abundance of quality around me. Even our full-backs with the quality that they have to deliver balls into the box that’s something that I thrive on. Long may this form continue.”

A trademark Evans free-kick was glanced into the back of the net by the forward on the half hour mark with the faintest of touches but, as any striker should, the 35-year-old was certainly claiming that one as he added: “It was mine for sure. It might have only just skiffed the hair. To be fair, the ref actually made the comment, if you had my barnet you wouldn’t have scored that one. He said he heard the flick. For sure my goal. A great ball in by Evo again.”

Hindsight really is a wonderful thing as the threadbare saying suggests when reflecting back on the circumstances that brought Martin to the football club initially. Who knows what might have happened but it’s a fair judgement to make to suggest that had the deadline day deal to sign Jonson Clarke-Harris from Peterborough United not fallen through, the former Bristol City frontman wouldn’t currently be wearing blue-and-white quarters.

In need of a striker but facing a closed transfer window, Rovers were seriously limited for options. However, given that the 35-year-old was still a free agent following his departure from QPR that summer and had settled in Bristol given his time on the red side of the city, it was a no-brainer to make the initial phone call at the very least.

Signing on September 26 after a period training with the club, it took Martin just under a month to get off the mark against Stevenage and he hasn’t really looked back ever since.

However, after losing his spot in the side to John Marquis for a spell in December, it’s been the striker’s form over the past two months or so that has really caught the eye.

Coming off the bench for Marquis early into the final game of 2023 at home to Charlton Athletic marked the start of this exceptional streak, netting a brace which included a 94th minute winner before getting another two three days later on New Year’s Day at Wycombe Wanderers, although they came at 3-0 down to reduce the deficit. Subsequent strikes against Barnsley, Blackpool and Oxford United made it five games in a row in which the striker scored, earning him the accolade of January Player of the Month.

At the same time, there was doubt regarding the experienced forward’s future at the club given that he had initially signed a short-term deal but managing to agree an extension until the end of the season with a club option for another year may well end up being the best possible January signing the Gas could have made.

Now, with four goals in four games, Martin has shown no signs of stopping this outstanding run in front of goal which has catapulted him into the golden boot conversation.

Joint-fifth with Blackpool’s Jordan Rhodes, the 35-year-old is only two goals off of leaders Devante Cole of Barnsley, Jamie Reid of Stevenage and Alfie May of Charlton while Portsmouth’s Colby Bishop is currently on 16. Meanwhile, Northampton Town’s Sam Hoskins closely follows with 14 and Dion Charles and James Collins of Bolton Wanderers and Derby County respectively have 13 which makes the competition still anyone’s to win.

However, as you can imagine, Martin isn’t paying that particular contest much attention, for the time being at least, with the Rovers striker focused on helping his team towards as strong a conclusion to the campaign as possible.

“I’m not really focusing on that too much,” he added, when asked about the golden boot race. “I keep ticking it off as we go. I think it’s just a really nice feeling as a striker when you are in form and you’re playing in a team that you know are going to create good chances for you. I’ve felt that from the get go here, obviously a big part of the reason I came to the football club.

“It was a good choice in that regard and it’s my job at the end of the day. I think as a striker the lads have to rely on me to be that person who finishes the actions and puts the ball into the back of the net. It’s just really nice to not only score but to contribute to a very well-earned victory and see the reaction, both of the fans and the lads.”

With any striker, the first point of reference will be the goals tally but Martin has demonstrated that there is so much more to his game than just putting the ball into the back of the net with consistent defensive contribution, particularly from set-pieces.

Rovers had to defend 18 corners at Brisbane Road on Saturday as well as other deliveries that were flung into their box, particularly in the second half with Orient pushing to get themselves back into the game, and the striker got himself to a fair few to help keep his team’s clean sheet in tact.

In previous interviews, the forward had gone on record to say that he still didn’t feel fully fit having not had a proper pre-season but you wouldn’t know it based on watching him consistently score goals and complete full matches.

It won’t be the 35-year-old’s favourite topic of conversation, admittedly, but where he currently feels he’s at in regards to full fitness is still, and probably will remain, unknown as he confessed: “It’s a very difficult question to answer to be perfectly honest with you just because obviously I never had a full pre-season so I just think trying to judge myself off of that and where I might have been had I had six to eight weeks to get to 100 per cent fitness and being around the lads at that point.

“I know how to get myself through football games. I’ve done it for a long, long time. I think it’s close to 650 games I’ve played now. It’s nothing new to me and it’s something that comes very naturally to me and once you’re on that pitch and the ball is flying around and you can spot chances, your legs will carry you through.

“I think more so it’s a mental battle but it’s probably a question that will remain unanswered in terms of a percentage of where I’m at.

“I don’t want to put too much on it and be like, ‘well I could have done this, that or the other’ if I’d have had it. I just know that I would have been in a slightly better spot but that’s not to say that I don’t feel good now and I think mentally when you have the confidence of playing well and scoring goals that always helps the legs to move a bit better.”

As referenced by the man himself, 658 career appearances with 183 goals represents a seriously impressive career in itself but when compared to the rest of the Chris Martin compendium, this season ranks amongst his best with 11 matches still left to play.

For goals scored, already this term is joint-fourth with the 15 scored in the Championship for Derby County in the 2015/16 season while the 25 netted for the Rams in the 2013/14 season remains the unmatched tally which coincided with an impressive nine assists.

The best in League One right now for goals per 90 at 0.76, Martin is currently forecasted to end the campaign on 23 goals at this current rate assuming he plays every minute available in the remaining 11 league games. Coincidentally, next up for the Rovers goal machine is a meeting with the club for whom he enjoyed some of his best football.

Hosting automatic promotion chasers Derby at the Mem will be an exciting test nonetheless for the Gas but, having scored in the reverse fixture at Pride Park back in November, there’s an opportunity for the former Rams favourite to once again remind his former employers of what he can do in front of goal.

Looking at the bigger picture though, despite being midway through his 30s, Martin is enjoying some of his best form in front of goal and is showing no signs of stopping despite potentially approaching the twilight period of his career. “I feel like it,” when asked if he still feels as though he has years left in him. “I know people will all have their comments but I know what I can bring and what I’m capable of and I feel like I can still do that for sure.

“I think if you spoke to a lot of ex-pros they weren’t quite sure and maybe it creeped up on them a little bit quicker than they thought but for me right now I see myself as nothing else than a player for the next, at least a couple of years and hopefully beyond that if my body still feels up to it.”