Luke Leahy typified Gas grit as Bristol Rovers put defensive errors to bed at Sunderland

Luke Leahy scored Bristol Rovers' goal at Sunderland and put in a gruelling defensive shift

Luke Leahy said he is his own harshest critic following Bristol Rovers’ 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Saturday.

If that is the case, he must be damned hard on himself given some of the stick he has received over the past 13 months.

The 27-year-old has often been the focus of scrutiny since moving to the Mem last summer, and he admits there are times he has struggled to strike the right balance of defence and attack in his left-wing-back role.

But Saturday’s outing at the Stadium of Light, where Leahy opened the scoring with a thumping penalty inside three minutes, was one of his best for the Gas.

He was nerveless in burying the spot kick, and that was to be the end of his attacking influence in the game, as Sunderland tightened their grip on the flow of the game.

Leahy had the tough prospect of containing Luke O’Nien, one of the division’s most dynamic players in wide areas, and the Black Cats’ scorer Chris Maguire – who lurked dangerously in the pockets of space between defence and midfield.

In the circumstances, Leahy handled the task superbly. He was combative in his defending, throwing his body in front of anything he could.

That perhaps contributed to his early departure, missing the final quarter of an hour after going off with an injury – O’Nien’s knee catching him in the hip – that was the product of his committed defensive effort.

Leahy lacked significant competition for places in his first season with the Gas, with Tareiq Holmes-Dennis too often injured to push the former Walsall defender hard for his place.

This season, however, he has the hungry summer signing David Tutonda breathing down his neck and undoubtedly that will draw new levels from Leahy.

Positioning has often been a concern, being caught too high at times, but Garner – a master of the Xs and Os of the game – is the ideal coach for a tactical education.

His attacking play has been less of a concern. Last season he topped the Rovers squad with 1.4 key passes per game, and his attacking output will only improve as Garner's squad continues to get to grips with his style of play and if he continues taking penalties.

And, observing the game from a far less nuanced viewpoint, he has displayed he is the scrappy kind of player you need in League One. The games can be rough and rugged, and Leahy comes with the guarantee of getting stuck in.

His manner on the pitch is much different to his cheeky, jokey personality off the pitch, boasting the type of character Garner wants in his young squad.

For all the challenges Sunderland posed on Saturday, particularly amid their overwhelming dominance in the second half, the gameplan for the Gas was straightforward.

A difficult examination, sure, but simple instructions to follow and Leahy produced his strongest defensive performance since Garner took charge in late December.