"Massive problem" raised with Bristol Rovers star | OneFootball

FLW's Bristol Rovers pundit has brandished Isaac Hutchinson as a disappointment this season.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Bristol Rovers have endured a terrible season in League One and are scrapping for safety as the final two games of the season arrive.

For much of the season they had been in the lower half of the table, but successive wins in March against Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers would have given them confidence of safety. However, since then, they have endured a terrible run of just one point in eight games and that has handed the initiative to Burton Albion - who have seen something of a resurgence under Gary Bowyer.

To make matters worse for the Pirates, Albion not only have a game in hand but also boast a far superior goal difference - effectively giving them an extra point over their relegation rivals.

While Matt Taylor and Inigo Calderon must shoulder some of the blame for the team’s shortcomings, a large portion of the responsibility lies with the players, who simply haven’t delivered when it mattered most. If they do go down, it would be nothing short of a catastrophic collapse for a side that were nine points clear with just ten games remaining.

Bristol Rovers' Isaac Hutchinson pinpointed as player who hasn't delivered

Having made a whole host of seemingly impressive signings over the summer, it’s fair to say that Rovers’ 2024–25 squad has underdelivered. However, we wanted to find out which player has fallen furthest short of their potential - so Football League World spoke to their resident Gashead, Ziggy Carter.

"The first-team player who has underdelivered the most this season has got to be Isaac Hutchinson," Carter told FLW.

"He was such a good player in Walsall's team last season. I think he got 27 goal contributions, and we were expecting him to be the Antony Evans replacement - which, considering how big a player Evans was for us, might be a bit harsh to brand him as.

"He has been so inconsistent! He's on corners a lot of the time, and they don’t even get past the first man. His consistency is a massive problem. There have been times at the club where everyone’s thought he was finally finding form, and I’m hoping that next season he’ll improve a lot - as I believe he’s never played at League One level before.

"His consistency is so far off it makes it hard to trust him. I think he had the biggest expectations on him when he joined the club, and he’s underdelivered on that."

A return to League Two may suit Isaac Hutchinson

While Rovers will have no intention of dropping back to League Two in these final two fixtures, if they do then Hutchinson will be a useful player in the division below.

In the 2023-24 season for Walsall, he netted 12 goals and provided 11 assists for a mid-table fourth-tier side. His underlying figures only furthered proof of his ability with 59 chances created, 41 successful crosses and 42 successful dribbles across the campaign.

If the Pirates do find themselves in the division below, he could well be the catalyst to fire them back to the third tier. However, both Rovers and Hutchinson will be hoping they remain in League One, where he can build on his glimpses of quality and turn them into consistent performances.