The long-awaited chance to see all three of Bristol Rovers' frontline marksmen playing together finally arrived.

Yet despite the Pirates' comfortable win, it was hard to judge quite how effective the formation that saw Rickie Lambert, Darryl Duffy and Jo Kuffour operating as a trio could yet prove to be.

There are doubtless sterner tests ahead than the one offered by a toothless Stockport County side, whose limp performance presumably contributed to sparking another of manager Jim Gannon's now-legendary Memorial Stadium sulks.

If they were to have theme songs for football managers, then it is a pretty safe bet that few Gasheads would propose The Smiths' This Charming Man for the Hatters' boss.

At the end of the game he stalked off, studiously avoiding Paul Trollope's prolonged offer of a handshake, then refused to attend the post-match press conference to explain why or send anyone else to answer questions about his side's display.

Gannon certainly has previous when it comes to Bristol Rovers – and has become the subject of some derision from a large number of their fans after his well-documented verbal spats at the club a couple of seasons ago, as the Pirates pipped his side to the play-offs and then went on to win promotion.

Whether his reaction on Saturday was a throwback to the now-infamous "Waterlogging-gate" issue of the time or borne out of his more recent frustrations at Edgeley Park – of which there have been many – it is hard to know.

His refusal to talk to his local media last week still failed to prevent him getting into trouble with the FA following remarks he made about the refereeing of his side's 4-0 defeat against Northampton in their previous game.

Gannon has seen the cash-strapped Hatters – teetering on the brink of administration – offload a number of their best players. Injuries have not helped his side's steady slide away from the play-off place they filled at Christmas.

In fairness, it should also be pointed out that the visitors' predominantly young side at the weekend included a number of players out of position and had only been reacquainted with loan keeper Conrad Logan – back for another spell from Leicester City – shortly before the game.

Yet they still looked like a team worryingly happy to settle for defeat once Bryon Anthony had given Rovers a fourth-minute lead, which was extended when Rickie Lambert rammed home his 25th goal of the season from the penalty spot eight minutes before the interval.

Rovers could – and probably should – have done what they did at Walsall a few weeks earlier, which was win by a five-goal margin. But they were denied a bigger victory by a clutch of important saves from Logan – some he knew about, one or two he didn't – and narrow misses.

For all its attacking intentions, Rovers' formation change means Lambert playing in a deeper role than the one he normally adopts. Tucked in behind Duffy and Kuffour, it is one that needs him to add defending and supply work to his normal goalscoring duties.

"I've done it before at other clubs but this was the first time I've played there for Rovers," said Lambert.

"I was playing a lot deeper than I normally do and looking to play Jo and Darryl in. It didn't really work until the second half, but by then we were already 2-0 up.

"Having played in midfield before, I think I have got the passing game to do it.

"I didn't get a lot of the ball in the first half because I had to do some defensive work but in the second half I started to get my passing going and playing people in.

"Trolls said to me that when the opposition have the ball, I have to drop in and mark a midfielder while Jo and Darryl go wide to stop them coming out from the back. It does involve a lot of hard work – that's probably the reason I had to come off for the last quarter of an hour.

"But I thought it worked really well and for the first 15 minutes of the game Stockport just didn't know how to cope with it. They didn't seem to really get out of their own half in the first 45 minutes.

"It was easy because we went a goal up so early on and everything went perfectly. It might not be so easy against another team, but today it worked really well."

Trollope has been considering exactly how and when to accommodate all three of his strikers in the side for quite a while, and the coach acknowledged that the absence of winger David Pipe through illness was a factor in implementing it.

Whether it becomes a frequent formation remains to be seen, although Lambert believes having three in-form marksman should mean giving opposition defences plenty to worry about.

"Jo is a brilliant player and too good not to be in the team. Darryl has done really well too, so playing the three of us together has probably been coming for a while," said Lambert.

"I think it's something that can work away from home as well, although I don't know whether the plan is to do that. But with three good strikers on the pitch, we should have more chance of scoring."

Lambert's strike from the spot after defender James Tunnicliffe had handled effectively killed off a game that looked out of the Hatters' reach as soon as Stuart Campbell's quick free-kick was nodded down by Steve Elliott for Anthony to sidefoot his second goal of the campaign in the opening minutes.

There could have been plenty more. Lambert saw Logan do his best to make a hash of saving his 30-yard shot before the break, the ball fortunately flying just past the post.

But the keeper made a good stop to scramble Kuffour's shot on the turn around an upright and twice more foiled the Rovers striker after the break, while Duffy went close with a flighted chip which just cleared the bar and also fired over the top following more quick thinking by Campbell.

Stockport enjoyed plenty of possession but Rovers were content to let them have it for the most part, such was their lack of threat.

The closest they came was when substitute Josh Thompson nodded wide after a spell of head tennis inside the Bristol Rovers box following a second-half corner.