EFL Countdown | #18 Antony Evans

The 'Top Ten' of our ‘Playmaker 72’ is looming on the horizon and after giving you the lowdown on 'The Loch Ness Monster' Ross Stewart in our last profile, we're switching from a great goalscorer to a scorer of great goals. 

Before we introduce the player in question, we'd like to quickly point out that 'Playmaker's 72' is not necessarily aimed at ID'ing the best footballers across the EFL - instead, it focuses on those who have enjoyed the best campaigns across the Championship, League One and League Two this season. 

Now it's time to step on The Gas: at Number 18 we have Bristol Rovers' talisman Antony Evans. 

Back in October 2019, Playmaker did a short 'One to Watch' profile on an Everton Under-23 star who had recently been nominated for the Premier League 2 'Player of the Month' award. The player in question was Antony Evans, who had racked up some decent stats in youth football and also scored for the Toffees in the EFL Trophy. 

We backed Evans to move into the EFL and make an impact stating that the attacking midfielder had 'an impressive range of passing, the ability to drive at defenders [and was]...a clean striker of the ball.'

Currently shining brightly in League Two with Bristol Rovers, perhaps the biggest surprise regarding Evans is that it has taken him this long to announce his talents at senior level. 

The coronavirus pandemic certainly complicated matters for the Liverpudlian, who moved to Bundesliga side SC Paderborn - where he made eight appearances in total - before returning to these shores on loan with Crewe Alexandra at the end of last season. 

The former England Under-19 international penned a one-year deal with Bristol Rovers ahead of the 2021/22 season - and what a campaign it has been so far for the 23-year-old!

A return of nine goals and 10 assists across all competitions speaks volumes regarding Evans' contribution this term, but it perhaps doesn't tell the full tale regarding a mercurial talent whose ability to conjure magical moments has won the hearts of the Rovers faithful. 

🚀 @AntonyEvans_8 doesn't do normal goals!#BristolRovers pic.twitter.com/cQj10rpBLw

— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) March 2, 2022

After an assist on his debut against Crawley, Evans' first goal for the Gas served warning of what was to come, a lovely jink and finish helping Joey Barton's side on their way to a 3-0 win over Carlisle. 

Playmaker's initial assessment regarding Evans' ball-striking was obviously spot on, as four of his eight League Two goals this season have come from outside the box, his team-mate Aaron Collins, Harrogate's Jack Diamond and Hartlepool's Luke Molyneux the only L2 players who have been able to match his return from long range. 

By his own admission, Evans' best strike of the season - and his fledgling career to date - was a rising drive against Barrow back in March, the midfielder's knack for scoring crucial goals coming to the fore in a 1-0 win at the Memorial Stadium.  

Although they have enjoyed 55% possession on average this season (the second highest possession share in L2), the Gas average fewer crosses per game (15) than any team, which makes Evans' fantastic crossing ability even more valuable to Rovers' attacking play and chance creation.

The talented technician ranks in League Two's 'Top 10' for both accurate corners (42) and short key passes (45) to underscore the latter point, with six of Evans' nine assists this term coming from crosses (only Kane Wilson, 7, Nicky Cadden, 7,  and Mitch Pinnock, 10, have more). 

With more league wins (14) and more league points (47) than ANY top four tier team since the turn of the year, Bristol Rovers enter this weekend's clash against League Two leaders Forest Green with fantastic momentum - and they will be looking for a few more magical moments out of the talismanic Evans between now and the end of the season.

Although he will be concentrating on the present and the Pirates' promotion battle, there is already plenty of speculation regarding Evans' future - the player himself backing his ability to play higher up the football ladder.

"I’ve always known what I’m capable of," Evans told BristolLive in March. "I’ve just never been given the platform to show people what I’m capable of, but I’ve been given that at Bristol Rovers and I’m starting to show what I can do.

"In this sport, if you don’t back yourself you aren’t going to go very far. I believe I can play at the top and it’s just about getting there."

📊 @AntonyEvans_8 has pulled in 8️⃣1️⃣.9️⃣% of your votes!

🎯 Let's take another look at January's #GoalOfTheMonth winner!#BristolRovers https://t.co/n64v5Ozp6t pic.twitter.com/7g1H6eKJR4

— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) February 2, 2022

Playmaker's 72

Check out the articles for all of those featured so far...

19: Ross Stewart

20: Sean McConville

21: Isaiah Jones

22: Dan Barlaser

23: Ben Brereton Diaz

24: Matty Taylor

25: Cameron Brannagan 

26: Josh Bowler

27: Jamille Matt 

28: Chris Willock 

29: Will Keane

30: Lee Nichols 

31: Elijah Adebayo 

32: Barry Bannan

33: Dapo Afolayan 

34: Billy Sharp 

35: Sorba Thomas 

36: Matt Jay 

37: Bartosz Bialkowski 

38: Nicky Cadden 

39: James McClean 

40: Morgan Gibbs-White

41: Antonee Robinson 

42: Harry Darling 

43: David Ajiboye 

44: Jevani Brown 

45: Luke Leahy 

46: Liam Roberts 

47: Lewis O'Brien 

48: Gavin Bazunu 

49: Lloyd Kelly 

50: Sepp van den Berg 

51: Wes Burns 

52: Wes Foderingham 

53: Ross Sykes 

54: Dan Neil 

55: Kal Naismith 

56: Fraser Horsfall 

57: Keane Lewis-Potter 

58: Jack Diamond 

59: Christian Walton 

60: Ricardo Santos 

61: Jack Rudoni 

62: Matt Grimes 

63: Ilias Chair 

64: Conor Grant 

65: Peter Clarke 

66: Callum Lang 

67: Viktor Gyökeres 

68: Stephen McLaughlin 

69: Tom Lawrence 

70: Davis Keillor-Dunn 

71: Emil Riis 

72: Rob Dickie