Joey Barton: Bristol Rovers manager certain he can get club promoted to Championship

Joey Barton guided Bristol Rovers to promotion to League One last season at the end of his first full campaign in charge

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton is "convinced" the club will reach the Championship while he is in charge.

Barton was appointed in February 2021 and steered Rovers to promotion to League One last season.

However, he said the club have to strengthen the depth of their squad if they are to move up a division.

"I'm absolutely convinced that I'll get Bristol Rovers to the Championship during my tenure here," Barton told BBC Radio Bristol.

"But let's not try to run before we can walk. This is softly, softly, catchy monkey. We've got to build it on solid foundations."

Rovers are currently 15th in League One and next face promotion challengers Bolton Wanderers away on Friday.

The team, however, were emphatically dumped out of the FA Cup last weekend by National League side Boreham Wood, a defeat which Barton described as the "lowest point" of his career.

He said the sooner the team ensured their survival in the league, the sooner the club could recruit the type of players they need to move up a level.

"I still think we're a couple of bodies away from having a group capable of challenging to get out of the division. But, again, we're making a decent fist of what would be a season of consolidation," he said.

"I think somebody pointed out if we have one or two of our starters, our key components, out, the people who are coming in to do the job behind them at this moment in time aren't capable of doing it at the level of Boreham Wood, never mind Bolton Wanderers, and we need to get them up to speed.

"If they can't get up to speed they'll leave and we'll bring in new people who can do the job."

Barton compared his side to Bolton, who are currently fifth in the table, and who similarly spent a season in League Two after being relegated in 2020 but also came back up at the first time of asking.

Likewise, current League One leaders Plymouth Argyle spent a year in the fourth tier in 2019-20.

"Bolton are probably 12 months down the evolution of us," Barton added.

"I see us on a similar transition to them, all be it a season behind them, and again, a side like Plymouth - who are probably two years ahead of that cycle when Lowey [Ryan Lowe] did it.

"We've got to look round and take steps in the right direction."