Rovers Relegated As Wednesday Hold Firm

Barring a footballing and mathematical anomaly next weekend Bristol Rovers were consigned to relegation back to League 2, four years after they returned to the third tier via the play-offs.

The point they took in the 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday was not enough for the club to retain their League 1 status, the game itself being a tale of two penalties, Tommy Miller giving the visitors the lead in the third minute before Will Hoskins levelled after twelve.

Stuart Campbell made two changes to his starting line up, dropping himself following the dead calf injury he suffered against Bournemouth on Monday, JP Kalala joining the starting line up along with Danny Coles who made his way back from an achilles injury. He replaced the suspended David McCracken.

After Rovers did so well to take an early lead away at Bournemouth they suffered a taste of their own medicine as Danny Coles was adjudged to have taken out Gary Madine in the penalty area, though the Rovers players were not at all pleased with the referee's decision. But as it was it was too late and Tommy Miller dispatched the spot kick high to Logan's right.

Within nine minutes of that goal, however, Rovers had been awarded a penalty of their own, Wayne Brown being pushed over by Lewis Buxton when he had his back to goal and it was captain Will Hoskins who stepped up to the plate, scoring the equalising goal and setting Rovers up to put a period of pressure on their opponents.

Hoskins was the man who nearly got an assist on another goal, the striker curling in a corner that Byron Anthony headed against an upright from a tight angle.

News filtered through that both Dagenham and Walsall were ahead by this point and it was the Gas who continued to make all the running as they searched for the goal they so desperately needed, Jo Kuffour heading inches wide.

Wednesday were not totally out of the game though, James O'Connor dragging an effort wide of the goal as his side looked to retake the lead.

Chris Lines almost finished the half in spectacular style unleashing a fierce thirty yard drive on Nicky Weaver's goal but the experienced keeper successfully tipped the ball over the bar in front of a rowdy Blackthorn End.

Rovers started the second half well as Jo Kuffour was able to cut onto his right down the left hand flank and scooped a ball over to Hoskins who had to lean back as he headed goalwards, the ball glancing off his forehead and flying just wide of the Wednesday goal.

An Owls free kick from about thirty yards and at an angle to the goal was touched short for substitute Jermaine Johnson to thump goalwards but he sliced his shot horribly wide, producing great jeers from the visibly nervous but bubbling fans in the Blackthorn End.

Conrad Logan made a meal of a high backpass, sending the ball up into the sky where the much maligned Gary Madine played it back for Tommy Miller to wildly half volley over the crossbar.

But the action kept up at the other end, Gavin Williams the latest to test Weaver connecting well with a volley that the visiting stopper held onto while flinging himself to his right.

Another chance came and went as Will Hoskins looked to place the ball into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the box but Weaver was once again up to the task, parrying the ball away.

Hearts were in mouths when Neil Mellor and Conrad Logan leapt into each other in the area, the ball running out of play allowing the referee to consult with his linesman as to whether the incident was penalty-worthy before eventually signalling for a corner.

Chris Lines had a low free kick pushed around the post by Weaver as he looked to tuck the ball in the bottom corner from thirty yards and aside from a weak effort from substitute Charlie Clough that was to be it, the clock running down on Rovers struggle for survival leaving the club needing a true miracle to remain in League 1.

Many fans stayed and clapped and cheered their valiant heroes from the field, leaving many of them with one last rendition of Goodnight Irene ringing in their ears at the Memorial Stadium before they play for their own professional pride at Colchester in a weeks time.

Rovers caretaker manager Stuart Campbell was visibly down when he summarised the game with the press, telling them:

"We are absolutely devastated with what has happened.

"We had an eye on the other results, but I fully expected them to win anyway and knew in my heart of hearts that we had to go out and get three points, but unfortunately we didn't do that.

"The three games we have had in the last week we could quite easily have won all three of them, the amount of chances we created.

"I thought today our luck was going to turn and we would get a couple of goals, but yet again we have missed a hat full of chances.

"We are bitterly disappointed, no more so than for the fans, they were outstanding again today and they most definitely don't deserve that."

Gary Megson was also in the eyes of the media after the game, talking about his disappointment with the drop in his sides performance. He said:

"It was typically end of season from our perspective.

"The team that got that draw today played nowhere near as it has in the last six weeks but that happens in football at this stage of the season.

"It was very hot out there but I don't want to make any excuses because I just didn't think we played very well."

Time For Rovers To Turn It on

Forget the money spent on a match ticket and travelling down to the south coast, no Bristol Rovers fans would have complained had the referee blown the final whistle just after Wayne Brown gave Bristol Rovers a fourth minute lead over Bournemouth.

But he didn't and the Gas went on to lose thanks to two late goals, denying them the chance to drag themselves out of the bottom four as the Cherries cemented their place in the play-off positions. After Brown scored his second goal of the Easter period to give the visitors the lead but Mathieu Baudry and Steve Fletcher struck in the 84th and 89th minutes to give Bournemouth the points. That game came just two days after a comeback from two goals down in a dramatic game against Charlton that saw the visitors go down to nine men and defender for their lives as Rovers fought their way to a point. There was controversy at the end of that game as Gavin Williams looked to handball before volleying in the equaliser before Will Hoskins had a chance to settle the game, hitting the ball into the ground and over from nine yards out.

Sheffield Wednesday will be facing up against a side in the relegation zone for the third time in eight days on Saturday. They drew with Walsall last weekend, Neil Mellor netting the equaliser at the Bescot Stadium after Jon Macken gave the Saddlers the lead, and then relegated Swindon Town on Easter Monday, Mellor again getting on the score sheet with two more goals. If Rovers don't claim anything this weekend and results go against them it could be that Wednesday send two west country teams down in consecutive matches.

A month ago the Owls found themselves on a poor run of form and after losing 3-1 to Brentford were only four points off of the relegation zone but since then there has been just one defeat, that coming against league champions Brighton, and that spell has seen Gary Megson's side move up to a comfortable 14th and certain survival. Four wins have come in the Yorkshire sides last six with one draw and that aforementioned defeat but away from home they are far less reliable having failed to win in their last four games on the road. Conceding goals away from Hillsborough has been the big problem for Wednesday, only four teams have conceded more than their 37 and all of them occupy the bottom four.

After a good spell over the end of March and the start of April Rovers form has slumped. Stuart Campbell's side have failed to win in their last four, losing three of those games. At home there have been just three wins in the last sixteen, that run starting way back in September. The Gas have only collected five points at most in consecutive home games, that little spell surprisingly coming when Dave Penney was still in charge. All four of the wins under Campbell's reign have come by a scoreline of 1-0, three of those were away from the Memorial Stadium and you have to go back to the 3-1 win over Swindon in January for the last time a Rovers side won by anything other than that score.

What Rovers lacked for so long was an experienced, creative edge from their midfield but Dave Penney successfully changed that when he brought in former Yeovil and Bristol City midfielder Gavin Williams. The Welsh international was released from his contract at Rovers City rivals when it was clear that he was not going to be getting near the first team, allowing him to look for new pastures to continue his career and he has found that with the Pirates. He scored his first goal for the club against his previous employers Yeovil Town, a club he made over 100 appearances for, giving Rovers a vital win. His next goal came against Charlton and over the past three games he has shown his experience and technical abilities, putting in a good shift for the club and showing the spirit that is required to survive and a goal against Wednesday would help to give the fans hope that their club can beat the drop.

If Rovers are to stop Wednesday and get the win they so desperately need their back four will need to keep tabs on Neil Mellor. The former Liverpool striker, best known for his late goals against Arsenal and Olympiacos back in 2004, has got twenty goals during the current campaign including six in the last six games and hat tricks in a further two matches. The big centre forward will bring his typically physical game to the Memorial Stadium and will hope to pose problems for what is an injury hit Rovers back line.

There have only been twelve games between Rovers and Wednesday, eleven of them occurring in the league, and the overall record is very much against Saturday's home side. The Owls have won six of the league meetings as well as the only one to take place in a cup competition and you have to go back to April 1959 for the last of only two times they have lost out to Rovers, seven games being played since. Prior to the 6-2 hiding the Gas received at Hillsborough back in December the two sides hadn't met for ten seasons and before that you have to go a further ten years into the past for the previous encounters, the last four of which Wednesday have won. But Gasheads shouldn't lose hope just yet as both of the games their team have won against the Sheffield side have been at home and they have lost just once on their own turf back in 1990.

Rovers will be without their suspended centre half David McCracken after his red card against Bournemouth and will also miss Danny Coles and James Tunnicliffe with achilles and foot injuries respectively.

Left midfielder Jeff Hughes is out for the last two games of the season with a triple wrist fracture suffered against Charlton.

Charlie Clough was recalled from his loan spell at Bath City and is likely to take a place in the squad as defensive cover, being able to play in the centre of defence as well as his usual central midfield position.

Sheffield Wednesday look as though they will have to do without the services of striker Gary Madine who suffered a calf injury against Swindon and is waiting for the results of a scan to determine how serious it is.

Central defenders Danny Batth (illness) and Mark Beevers (fractured cheekbone) are also set to miss out.

Rovers caretaker player-manager Stuart Campbell knows about the threats that Wednesday possess and is wary of them, saying:

"They have had a great run of form of late, the new manager has stamped his authority on the team and what he wants from the players.

"They are a huge club, with a huge fan base, and there are some very good players in there.

"We have had them watched and they have some good attacking players, so we are going to have to be at our best to keep them quiet."

Wednesday boss Gary Megson chose to speak about the effort his players have put in during their recent upturn in form, on the subject he said:

"The players are working a lot harder and putting a lot more effort in. So they do need some rest, we do look after them.

"It's a great life being a footballer. They come in and train then it's up to them to rest themselves. The idea then is when we do play, the team will be going into games all guns blazing.

"Bristol Rovers is going to be a game similar to Walsall, I'm sure. They will come out and know they need to get a result against us, so they'll try and do that from minute one."

Pirates Sunk By Bournemouth Comeback

AFC Bournemouth strengthened their play-off chances as they came from behind late on to deny Bristol Rovers a victory that would have taken them out of the bottom four.

Wayne Brown's second goal in three days gave Rovers a fourth minute lead that remained until the 84th minute when Mathieu Baudry headed an equaliser from a corner, and that wasn't to be it as veteran forward Steve Fletcher prodded the ball over Conrad Logan's goal line to give the Cherries a 2-1 win in a game that also saw Rovers David McCracken sent off for violent conduct and the home side's Danny Hollands for two bookable offences.

There were three changes to the Rovers side, the injured trio of Danny Coles, James Tunnicliffe and Jeff Hughes dropping out of the team to be replaced by David McCracken, Gary Sawyer and Wayne Brown. Anton Robinson came back into the Bournemouth team for Harry Arter.

Bournemouth looked to take the game to Rovers but it was the visitors who hit back with the opening goal of the game. Stuart Campbell took the ball to the halfway line and played it forward to Will Hoskins, the star striker turning and playing a ball over the top for Wayne Brown to run onto and place a shot under Shwan Jalal for his second goal of the Easter period, the Iraqi goalkeeper getting a hand to it but not being able to keep it out.

The home side went straight down the other end and won a corner, Feeney putting a low ball in that Donal McDermott slashed at, taking a complete airshot and missing the ball, leading to massive jeers from the Rovers fans just to his left but it was Rovers who looked to extend their lead. Gavin Williams taking a dig from range that forced Jalal to make a superb acrobatic save, pushing the ball around the post.

Danny Ings had Conrad Logan making his first save of the game but the header from the home grown striker looped comfortably into the Irish keepers hands before Jalal had to make a similarly easy save from a Jo Kuffour effort and soon after what should have been a great chance for Rovers to double their lead turned into a disaster.

A corner was swung into the Bournemouth area by Stuart Campbell but before it reached the gaggle of players the referee blew up and subsequently sent off Gas centre back David McCracken for what looked like an elbow on Adam Smith. The pressure from being down to ten men was soaked up by Rovers, though, and thirteen minutes later Bournemouth's numerical advantage dissappeared.

Danny Hollands was already on a yellow card before Chris Lines looked to burst away through the centre circle only for his run to be stopped by the former Chelsea trainee's sliding challenge, leaving the referee with no option but to brandish a second yellow card his way.

By this time Stuart Campbell had already been forced off with a dead leg, being replaced by JP Kalala. The re-shuffle following the read card saw Gary Sawyer move to the centre of defence, Wayne Brown drop to left back and Jo Kuffour move to left midfield, leaving Will Hoskins the lone striker in a 4-4-1 formation.

The second half kicked off with a couple of Rovers efforts from Kuffour and Hoskins that never truly threatened Jalal before ten minutes in came the substitution that arguably turned the game, big Steve Fletcher coming on for Donal McDermott, running straight over to Gary Sawyer and his physical impact was clear from the first time the ball was hoofed his way.

Despite this there came a moment for Rovers to put the game to bed. Will Hoskins received the ball on the left hand flank and looked up to find Danny Senda running completely unmarked on the far side, beating a ball across to put the full back one-on-one with Jalal only for the ball to bobble up at the point of impact, Senda sending it high over the bar.

Ings looked to punish that miss as he connected first time with a short, jabbed pass from Fletcher but his effort flew over the bar a fairly brisk pace.

The game was getting livelier by the minute; Logan having to save from both Ings and Feeney while the former saw a shot cleared off the line by Senda. Jason Pearce flashed a shot wide and Gavin Williams failed to get the required bend on a right-footed effort at the other end after cutting inside from the left.

The home side were really piling the pressure on the Gas during the final fifteen minutes of the game and it eventually paid off, all of Rovers good defensive work being undone by the simplest of goals. Warren Cummings bent a corner in and substitue Mathieu Baudry got there first, running off his marker and thumping a header past the helpless Logan.

Kuffour saw a shot blocked as the Pirates desperately tried to regain their lead but then came the killer blow, not only of the game but perhaps to Rovers survival hopes entirely.

Danny Ings ran into the box and his shot from a tight angle was saved by the on-rushing Logan. Unluckily for Rovers though the striker was able to pick up the ball again and squared it for Fletcher to knock over the line, capping a superb substitute performance and compunding Rovers misery, sending them home with nothing when you couldn't have argued if they had taken all three points.

Gas caretaker boss Stuart Campbell couldn't hide his disappointment after the game and speaking to the press said:

"We are absolutely devastated to have lost the game.

"I thought we were excellent from, start to finish, and we passed the ball very well, and created a number of chances without getting another goal.

"When you are unable to press home your advantage, then you leave yourselves open to a comeback such as the one we saw from Bournemouth.

"I think we did more than work hard this afternoon because we passed the ball around so well even though we were the away team."

Steve Fletcher, scorer of the winning goal, talked to the media after the game and summed up his teams performance, saying:

"We didn’t play well for 60 to 65 minutes against Bristol Rovers but really took the game to them after that. We did to Rovers what Yeovil did to us and it was a great feeling after Saturday.

"We know we didn’t play particularly well. But, at this stage of season, strange things happen in games and there are some strange results.

"We showed character and a never-say-die attitude and you will take any win at this stage of the season."

An Easter Resurrection?

The Easter weekend in the Football League season is always an exciting time, two games in quick succession coming at the business end of the season with summer just around the corner and it is a key period for Bristol Rovers in their League 1 relegation battle.

Saturday's game against Charlton lived up to the hype, the Gas coming from two goals behind to earn a point, Wayne Brown and Gavin Williams the players to get on the scoresheet, but it could have been so different had the visitors not had both Kyel Reid and Jose Semedo sent off at 2-0 up allowing Rovers to play with three at the back and go gung ho in their quest for survival. After the game Rovers manager Stuart Campbell claimed it was 'a point gained' but it could have been three had Will Hoskins not missed a golden opportunity to drag his side out of the relegation zone.

Next they face AFC Bournemouth for the second time in a month. Rovers came away with a 1-0 in the original game and will be hoping for a similar result again. After Lee Bradbury took over as manager at Dean Court he took his side on a ten game unbeaten run but since beating Oldham at the start of March there has been just one win that coming against struggling Notts County although they could, and perhaps should, have taken all three on Saturday. 2-0 up against ten-man Yeovil they somehow contrived to finish level, Adam Virgo scoring a penalty with four minutes to go before Shaun McDonald headed a 93rd minute equaliser. Home is where the Cherries feel most comfortable, they have lost just four times at Dean Court this season but half of those losses have come in the last three games.

That win over Bournemouth just a few weeks ago was Rovers last and they have since gone without a win in three, losing at home to Exeter and away at Southampton and, of course, drawing with Charlton. Their form on the road has been good since Campbell was appointed manager, nine points out of a possible twelve have been taken, though all three wins came against sides that reside in the bottom half of the table, the final score being 1-0 in each.

One Rovers player hoping to force his way into the starting line up on Monday will be Wayne Brown. The diminutive midfielder hasn't started a game since the home defeat to Plymouth at the start of January and made just two substitute appearances under the stewardship of Dave Penney but came on against both Yeovil and Exeter. He once again came off the bench against Charlton and helped turn the game around for the Gas, netting the first goal of the comeback, making a big impact on the game with his passing and movement, always looking to get into a good position to receive the ball before either shooting or laying it off for a team mate. It was an impressive performance and Brown will be hoping it reaps the reward of a place in Campbell's starting eleven.

After a dreadful display against Rovers where he wasted innumerous chances to score Bournemouth striker Danny Ings has hit a purple patch, getting on the scoresheet in each of the three games since, netting both in the aforementioned 2-2 draw with Yeovil. He has seven for the season and with his confidence grown over the past couple of weeks you fear that if he gets as many chances as he did at the Memorial Stadium he is likely to punish the Pirates this time around.

The overall record between Bournemouth and Rovers is heavily in favour of Monday's home side, 53 of the 116 games have gone their way, 43 of those coming in league competition while the Gas have 43 wins, 39 in the league. The last time there was an away win for Rovers at Dean Court Nathan Ellington put two in the onion bag with a two minute double salvo in a 2-1 win, Faroe Islands international Claus Jorgensen getting the Cherries goal, way back in February 2001, just over ten years ago.

The referee will be a familiar face to the Rovers players, having taken charge of their game against Southampton just over a week ago. He has shown 98 yellows over the course of his 34 games this season, seven of which came in the Southampton-Rovers game, and has sent off nine players including Graeme Lee when Rovers beat Notts County 2-1 in September. The last time he refereed a game involving Bournemouth the Cherries lost 2-0 to Blackpool in March 2007.

As mentioned above Wayne Brown will be pushing for a start after his fine performance off the bench on Saturday.

Jeff Hughes (triple wrist fracture) and Danny Coles (achilles) will not feature while James Tunnicliffe will also be unavailable as he is having the foot injury sustained against Charlton monitored for three days, though he has confirmed via Twitter that it is not broken.

For Bournemouth Stephen Purches will be looking to fight his way back into the starting line up after recovering from a facial injury but otherwise there are no new fitness or suspension concerns for Lee Bradbury's side.

Winger Marc Pugh and striker Lauri Dalla Valle will be pushing for starts after coming off of the bench against Yeovil.

Stuart Campbell spoke to bristolrovers.co.uk after the Charlton game and mentioned the Bournemouth game. On the subject of that and survival he said:

"We have three games left and we want to go out and win every one of them.

"Bournemouth are a very good side, we saw that when they came here a couple of weeks ago, we are under no illusions about how tough the game will be, but we will go there and give 100% and hopefully get the three points we need."

Bournemouth gaffer Lee Bradbury also talked about Rovers in his last post match interview, he told afcb.co.uk:

"We know it will be hard against Rovers and we feel we owe them one after the game their place when we lost 1-0 after having 21 shots in the match.

"The lads now must lift themselves for the challenge against a team fighting for their lives and despite the disappointment against Yeovil, we are confident that we can turn in a good performance."

Rovers Fight Back In A Feisty Affair

Bristol Rovers came from two goals behind to claim a point against nine-man Charlton at the Memorial Stadium.

Paul Benson gave the visitors a half time lead and that was doubled within two minutes of the restart by Kyel Reid who then went on to see red. Jose Semedo was also handed a red card and goals from Wayne Brown and Gavin Williams salvaged a point for the Gas.

There was one change to the Rovers starting line up, Will Hoskins returning from his ankle injury and taking the place of Harry Pell.

The surprise ommission from the Charlton line up was striker Bradley Wright-Phillips, scorer of three goals for Plymouth against Rovers already this season.

It was Rovers who started the game stronger, winning an early corner that drifted over everyone before Hoskins turned and hit a volley in one movement, forcing Addicks custodian John Sullivan to tip the ball over the bar and out for another setpiece.

That lively start from Rovers disipated on eight minutes though, as Nathan Eccleston broke down the left and crossed the ball to the back post where a completely unmarked Paul Benson threw himself at the ball, connecting with his head from close range and putting Charlton into the lead.

The joy of the Gashead faithful was shortlived after Jeff Hughes spectacularly volleyed in a Gavin Williams cross, his effort being ruled out for offside by the linesman.

After creating the first Eccleston looked to grab a goal of his own, the striker cutting inside and slamming a shot goalwards that stung the hands of Conrad Logan as he parried the ball away.

Kyel Reid sent a volley wide of the mark and soon after Rovers were forced into their first enforced change of the afternoon as Hughes had to leave the field with a wrist injury, Stuart Campbell revealing afterwards that the midfielder had fractured his wrist in three places.

Lines had two free kicks in quick succession though neither caused Sullivan any problems. The first from a speculative distance of around 45 yards stayed low and rebounded off the wall while the second flew harmlessly wide.

Benson could have doubled his sides advantage as he spun and shot over but at half time Charlton had been the better side on the ball and deserved their half time lead and things soon got worse for the home side.

The first of a double blow came with the site of David McCracken walking out of the tunnel, Danny Coles having to be substituted off due to an achilles injury and very soon things got worse as the pacy Reid was allowed to run at the Rovers defence before unleashing a swerving piledriver over Conrad Logan's head and into the back of the net and at 2-0 down Rovers looked dead and buried but they were given a lifeline, though it did come at a price.

James Tunnicliffe went to clear a ball upfield and as his leg straightened in the air goalscorer Reid came in with a late, studs up lunge on the centre back who immediately went down in a heap and was taken off on a stretcher before being taken for an x-ray, later revealing via Twitter that his foot was not broken although it will be monitored over 72 hours.

Wayne Brown came on in his place, leaving the Gas with three at the back but the remaining defenders afternoons were to become slightly easier after the hour mark as Jose Semedo elbowed Rovers caretaker boss Stuart Campbell, collecting his second yellow card of the game in the process and leaving his side with just nine men on the field and this was soon capitalised on as the home side pulled a goal back.

Will Hoskins charged down the left hand side, checked back his run and laid the ball off to Chris Lines. His initial shot was blocked by Jonothan Fortune but Wayne Brown made no mistake, coming in at full throttle from the edge of the area and blasting the ball into the open goal.

Brown looked for his second but found Sullivan in the way while Eccleston could have put the game to bed, only to see his weak effort held comfortably by Logan.

Rovers got their reward, though, as Gavin Williams took the ball down on the edge of the area, not without a hint of handball, and struck home to send the home fans into raptures and turn what had looked like a defeat into a point, but it could have been so much more.

Stuart Campbell hit an effort from just outside the box that was blocked but the ball squirmed through to Will Hoskins only for the usually reliable striker to inexplicably hit the ball into the ground with a thud from no more than eight yards out and watch his effort fly up and over the bar.

There was to be no other goals, however, and the home side could come away thankful that they had picked up a point, though had Charlton not dug themselves into a hole with the two red cards it could ended so much worse for the Gas.

After the game Stuart Campbell talked about how well his side coped with the situation that stood before them, saying:

"I think it is a point gained given the fact we were 2-0 down with 20 minutes to go.

"Fair enough we were playing against nine men, but it was pretty much attack against defence, it was hard for us to break them down, but credit to the lads we moved the ball around really well.

"We got two goals, and were unfortunate not to get another couple.

"We have never done well against 10 men, let alone nine, but the pleasing thing for me was that we didn't panic. We kept moving the ball around well and we didn't panic, which you have to do."

His opposite manager didn't take too kindly to Campbell's reaction to the Semedo sending off, saying 'it's not right':

"Stuart Campbell has got a tough job, he is trying to keep his team up. If he wants to wink at his staff and clap to his fans when he knows he's got a player sent off; if he feels that's right than fair enough.

"In the spirit of the game if you feel you are going to do that to someone as an opposing player, if you do that - and it was seen by our bench - it's not right."

Campbell hit back at this when he said:

"I was clapping to the crowd to gee them up as the fact they were down to nine men; it was nothing more than that.

"I'm disappointed he said that but everyone is entitled to their opinions. I'll say go and look at it on the video and draw your own conclusion."

There were clearly axes to grind after the final whistle as Charlton substitute Frank Nouble squared up to Rovers keeper Conrad Logan before being pulled away by team mates.

A Must Win For Rovers

Time is of the essence for Bristol Rovers as they look to beat the dreaded drop down to League 1 and their two remaining home games will be key, starting with Saturday's fixture against Charlton Athletic.

After two straight defeats to Exeter and most recently at Southampton where they were sunk by a late goal the Gas must get back to winning ways. Sat in 22nd place in the division, effectively two points off safety with as they have a massive negative goal difference to overhaul, and with only four games left it is likely that they will require at the very least another seven points from their remaining matches.

In their last six Rovers have lost only the previous two games, going on a four game unbeaten run between the Notts County and Bournemouth fixtures, but what is most worrying is the fact that they have won only once in their last six home games and only three times under their last three managers this season, while scoring at a rate of just a single goal per game at the Mem has not helped at all. Those are unfortunate stats that have kept the Gas in the mire of the bottom four.

Charlton themselves have suffered a fall from grace in recent seasons. Having spent seven consecutive years in the Premiership they eventually dropped out of the top flight and have not gotten anywhere near getting back there ever since. Two seasons in the Championship lead to first an 11th placed finish before ending up bottom the following season. Last season saw the club lose out on penalties to Swindon in the play-off semi-finals but this term will not be one to look back on with any great pride as Charlton find themselves in the bottom half of the table, sat in 13th place.

Saturday's visitors have also had to deal with a change of management this term, though not to the extent we have seen at Rovers. In mid-January club legend Chris Powell was appointed as boss at The Valley, taking the club on an initial five game unbeaten run before things started to unravel. Since then there has been just one win for the former England international after an eleven game winless spell and with that solo recent win coming at home they have failed to claim victory in their last eight away trips, leaving Powell with ten defeats from his twenty games in charge and one win in the last fifteen.

In their last game the Addicks lost 1-0 to Huddersfield thanks to Joey Gudjonsson's 83rd minute free kick.

One opposition player that Rovers players and fans alike will recognise is Bradley Wright-Phillips who has already scored three goal against the Gas this season including the winner for Plymouth as the Pilgrims came from two goals behind to take all three points at the Memorial Stadium. His explosive pace and eye for goal have seen the forward score 21 times this term, seeing him currently standing in third place on the League 1 top scorers list and Rovers manager Stuart Campbell had this to say about the striker:

"Bradley Wright-Phillips is their main threat, as we saw in the two games he played against us for Plymouth.

"He is a real goal threat and the defenders will have to be on their toes to keep him quiet.

"I don't think the defenders will be worried that he has scored against us before, but it might make them more determined to stop him."

Rovers best player at Southampton last weekend was Harry Pell who has made a big impact on the side since returning from a loan spell at Hereford and he will be hoping to make an appearance against the club he spent twelve years with as he developed through the youth ranks. The young midfielder took to the professional pitch just once for the Pirates before Stuart Campbell's appointment, that was as a late substitute in a 3-0 defeat to Leyton Orient, and found himself shipped out to Hereford under Dave Penney where he made a good impression on the Bulls.

The loan spell was extended for a second month but was ended early as Campbell recalled Pell from his time at Hereford, one of his first acts as manager. Since then the Essex boy has made eight further appearances in a Rovers shirt, starting six times on either the right or in the centre, he did in fact take up the central attacking role playing just off lone striker Jo Kuffour against Southampton.

Despite Charlton's more recent record in higher divisions Rovers do have the lead in the overall head-to-head between the two sides, winning 22 of the 57 games played compared to the Addicks 19. The game between the clubs earlier in the season finished 1-1, Wayne Brown scoring his only goal thus far for Rovers as the Gas took a point against the team then sat second in the division. The League double last season was the first time in 17 seasons Rovers would meet Charlton and each returned with a home win from the fixtures, Charlton winning 4-2 at The Valley with Steve Elliott and Paul Heffernan on target at the Mem in a 2-1 win in front of the Sky TV cameras.

Will Hoskins will face another late fitness test as he looks to return from from an ankle injury suffered against Bournemouth.

Rene Howe will push to regain his place in the squad as he tries to regain the fitness lost when he was laid out with tonsillitis in recent weeks with youngsters Lamar Powell and Ellis Harrison, both of whom made their first team debuts against Southampton, will hope to be involved again.

Charlton will be without Goalkeeper Rob Elliot and full back Kelly Youga who both have knee injuries, winger Johnnie Jackson (Achilles) and striker Joe Anyinsah (ankle) are also out while central defender and captain Christian Dailly is suspended for the rest of the season.

They will, however, be able to welcome back goalkeeper Ross Worner to the bench as he recovers from a broken finger.

Stuart Campbell, caretaker boss of Rovers, knows how important Saturday is to his teams chances of safety, telling bristolrovers.co.uk:

"First and foremost Saturday is a must win game for us, from the start all I have done is taken it game by game, rather than looking at what other teams are doing.

"Everyone knows it is a must win game, it is a home game, and we only have two of those left. We will go out there, give 100%, and try and make sure that that happens.

"We have been focused all week on the game on Saturday, and how we can go out and win that. I am sure the crowd will get behind us and we will give it our all."

Charlton assistant manager Alex Dyer is hoping his side can put Rovers away as they look to finish the season on a high. He spoke to cafctv.co.uk and said:

"We know Rovers are down there fighting for their lives to stay in the league, but we won't be going there to do them a favour - we'll be going down there to win the game.

"They're not a bad side. We know we'll have to go there and work hard, and we've had a good day's training on Thursday.

"We'll come in on Friday morning and assess everything to see if anyone has any knocks. Then we'll pick the side before we travel down to Bristol."

Mumbai Indians V Pune Warriors - First Innings Report

Both the Mumbai Indians and the Pune Warriors looked to come back from demoralising defeats in their last IPL outtings as they faced up at the Wankhede Stadium.

Yuvraj won the toss for Pune and elected to bat and the first real bit of action came off of the third ball of the day.

Jesse Ryder looked to hit hard and straight to the opening spinner Murtaza and dragged his back foot out of the crease, getting it back behind the line just in time as Ambati Rayudu whipped the bails off, getting off the mark with two off the next ball.

Ryder was the first man to put the ball to the boundary, clipping a Lasith Malinga slower ball over mid off for four as the dangerous Sri Lankan looked to mix it up in his first over, but two overs later his wicket was to fall to Abu Nechim.

With his third delivery the medium-fast bowler had Ryder slightly hunched as he looked to hit over the top, Sachin Tendulkar jogging backwards to take the catch and holding on with aplomb to bring Mithun Manhas to the crease only for the Jammu born batsman to walk back to the sidelines after just one ball, taking a swing at Nechim, edging the ball to Rayudu to give the bowler his second wicket of the over.

Andrew Symonds nearly ran out Robin Uthappa as he and Tim Paine got in a mess, eventually deciding against taking a single before the latter found himself out next ball, trying to put Munaf Patel to the boundary, missing completely and hearing the death rattle behind him, the ball clipping the off stump and taking of the bail.

Pune's star man and captain Yuvraj came to the wicket with his team looking in trouble but instead of helping he too found himself out for nought, snicking behind for Rayudu to claim his second catch of the match as the Warriors lost their first four wickets for just one run, the score standing at a lowly 17.

Kieron Pollard came on to bowl in the eighth over and two balls in overstepped the popping crease, handing Uthappa the chance of a free hit and he duly obliged, smashing the ball straight for six with a horizontal bat.

After hitting one of the returning Murtaza's balls over the rope for four Monish Mishra clearly became overconfident, trying the same shot again but this time finding Rohit Sharma at long on, taking the catch comfortably.

It was becoming clear that the key man for Pune was to be Uthappa and he was slowly working his innings, picking the right balls to attack as he passed twenty with a four off Malinga.

James Franklin was the next new bowler to join the attack and he didn't get off to a great start as he saw his first delivery clipped for four off the legs of Uthappa before his second delivery gave away a free hit to Murali Kartik. That ball went for a single but the bowler overstepped once again, no runs coming off the second consecutive free hit. That over eventually went for eleven runs.

Despite the fact that Robin Uthappa hit the ball straight to Sachin Tendulkar Lasith Malinga was not to get his first wicket as the ball slipped out of his fingers and looked to go right at the batsmans chest, no ball being signalled by the square leg umpire.

Kartik was the next batsman to leave the field, chipping the ball up to Andrew Symonds at mid on for what was a truly soft dismissal.

The Pune dangerman Robin Uthappa was looking good as he reached 45 only to find himself dismissed as Kieron Pollard ran round from long on to throw himself forwards and take a superb low catch off the bowling of Ali Murtaza who finished his spell with figures of 2-17.

As the innings drew into its last five overs Rahul Sharma looked to take the game to the Indians as he smashed a ball high over the boundary for six, his partner wasn't to stay with him, though, Wayne Parnell trying to put away his second boundary of the over, his swipe getting nowhere near the ball and Franklin cleaned him up.

Pune went down to their last pairing as Wagh failed to handle the pace of Malinga, the ball floating up for Andrew Symonds to take the simplest of catches.

The innings was finished off when Munaf put in a full toss, Rahul Sharma looking to put it to the cover boundary, only to see the ball snaffled up by the hands of Ali Murtaza in the deep.

Rovers Roll As Saints March On

Bristol Rovers succumbed to a 1-0 defeat away at the hands of promotion chasing Southampton despite an improved performance.

Guly do Prado strolled past two Rovers defenders and put the ball in the net with just eight minutes left on the clock, leaving the visiting fans and defenders feeling numb. Danny Senda saw a shot in the 95th minute glanced onto the frame of the goal by Saints keeper Kelvin Davis but there could be no argument with the fact that Southampton deserved the win.

There were two changes to the Pirates starting line up, caretaker boss Stuart Campbell retaking his place at the heart of midfield for Reggie Lambe while Byron Anthony returned from a stomach bug to play at left back but, unfortunately, there was to be no return for top scorer Will Hoskins, remaining out with an ankle injury.

Danny Butterfield re-took the right back spot for Southampton as Jonothan Forte made his first start for the club.

Surprisingly it was Rovers who made the early running, winning a corner that Gavin Williams skied well over the bar before Jo Kuffour had a superb early chance saved at close range by Davis.

Former Rovers striker Rickie Lambert, who had scored in each of the previous three league meetings between the sides, flashed a header inches wide of Logan's right hand post.

The ever threatening do Prado then had his first opportunity of the game. A ball in from the left found the Brazilian in acres of room in the area and he struck a fierce volley that required the legs of Conrad Logan to turn the ball behind for a corner.

Lambert looked as though he was trying to find his range, sending a low, well struck shot into the hands of Logan after creating space for himself on the edge of the box.

With Rovers looking to regain some momentum Jeff Hughes found himself with his back to goal in the area but perhaps turned the wrong way, swivelling and striking the ball with his weaker right foot, his effort sailing harmlessly wide of the target.

Barbadian international striker Forte was making his eighth appearance in a Southampton shirt and nearly grabbed his third goal, heading the ball into the floor from where it rebounded sharply up, bouncing onto the underside of the crossbar.

Chris Lines had the final chance of note in the first half but his free kick smashed into the Saints defensive wall.

The home side were the ones to start the second half better, Guly placing a shot wide of the upright, and the pressure was well and truly on the Pirates for the final 45 even though one Southampton's most influential players was forced to make his way off the pitch.

Lee Barnard, a constantly moving thorn in Rovers sides, went up for a header but fell awkwardly on his ankle and remained on the deck for a number of minutes, eventually being stretchered off to applause from both sets of fans.

His replacement was David Connolly, scorer of two goals in an FA Cup tie between the same teams last season, and he made an instantaneous impact, crossing for Lambert to head over the bar from the edge of the six yard box.

With a quarter of an hour remaining the ever static Kuffour was subbed off by Craig Hinton, being replaced by seventeen year old Ellis Harrison who was making his first appearance in a matchday squad having impressed in a Gloucestershire Cup match against Cheltenham in midweek. The youngster looked sharp, constantly moving and looking for the ball, very different from what Kuffour was offering up to that point.

Lambert thumped a piledriver wide of the mark before Gavin Williams saw a long range dig comfortably held by Davis, and then came the moment that mattered, the Saints goal.

Guly picked up the ball on the edge of the area and burst through two Rovers challenges before beating the ball past a helpless Conrad Logan, giving his side the lead that their second half pressure had deserved, not that it silenced the travelling Gasheads one bit, a rousing chorus of 'Goodnight Irene' springing up almost immediately.

Lamar Powell became Rovers second seventeen year old debutant and he almost latched onto a James Tunnicliffe ball with a diving header.

Yet another long range Rickie Lambert strike came and went, Conrad Logan being forced to acrobatically tip the ball over the bar, but there was to be one last chance for the gallant Rovers.

A ball from wide on the left found it's way past everyone in the area and fell to Danny Senda at the back post, the full back hammering a shot that struck Davis and rebounded off the angle of post and crossbar, not that the Saints custodian knew much about it.

That was to be the final chance and as cheers from the home support rang around St Mary's Rovers were left to travel home pointless but knowing that further performances with such effort and a little more panache will reap the rewards required to see them beat the drop.

The results of the teams around Rovers went very much the way of the Gas, Notts County, Dagenham and Walsall all losing meaning that the relegation picture looks little different to how it did on Friday.

Post match Southampton boss Nigel Adkins stated his pleasure at how his side stepped up a gear in the second half, saying:

"Bristol Rovers came here with a game plan and set up with a 4-5-1 with a holding midfield player defending their half of the pitch. That makes it a small area that you have to try and break through, but we could have scored a couple in the first half.

"We had to try and get the tempo going because every time the ball went out of play it wasn't coming back quickly enough, so the ball wasn't in play for long.

"We needed to shift the ball a hell of a lot quicker than we did, and we talked about that before the game and at half time. If teams want to come and park the bus you need to get the ball quickly and move it out wide to expose them that way.

"Great credit to the players because I thought we played some exceptional football in the second half."

Stuart Campbell was pleased with what his side put into the match and gave a fair assessment of the game, telling the press:

"I'm very proud of the lads and the spirit, effort and commitment they showed, though I did feel that all of us gave the ball away a little bit too easily in the second half.

"I thought we were excellent in the first half and felt that we passed and moved the ball around very well. We created a couple of chances against a very good Southampton side and we were disappointed to reach half time without having scored.

"In the second half we didn't keep the ball as well, but Southampton threw everything at us and although we defended for our lives it was unfortunate that we were unable to hold out."

A Tough Saturday Ahead

When your down the bottom and fighting for your life the last thing you want is to come up against one of the best teams in your division, especially with five games to go, but that is exactly what Bristol Rovers must deal with as they travel to the south coast for a crunch game against promotion chasing Southampton.

But there's no going back now, Rovers just have to keep calm carry on and hope a bit of luck goes their way, and it will certainly need to if they continue to play as they have in their previous three fixtures. Yeovil away saw the Gas steal a win through ex-Glover Gavin Williams, the home side having missed a host of golden opportunities to take the lead.

Then came a home fixture against Bournemouth, another win that came courtesy of the oppositions profligacy in front of goal, Conrad Logan having to be on top form once again to keep a clean sheet as a Jeff Hughes penalty gave the home side victory. But then the luck seemed to run out last Saturday.

Exeter were the next visitors to the Memorial Stadium and dominated first half proceedings. The second half continued in the same manner, though Rovers did have a couple of half chances, before a crazy moment from Conrad Logan, rushing out towards the retiring Marcus Stewart left leaving Daniel Nardiello with the simple task of thrashing the ball into an empty net. A second followed for Nardiello as a poor day all round was wrapped up for the Gas.

Southampton, however, are far less likely to be so wasteful in front of goal, Lee Barnard is currently on fifteen for the season while ex-Rovers favourite Rickie Lambert is on eighteen and hunting for more.

Last time out the Saints went down 2-0 to Rochdale at Spotland, Joe Thompson and Chris O'Grady the goalscorers on Tuesday, but where they are really dangerous is at their own St Mary's stadium. There they have won every one of their last six games, including a stunning comeback from 2-0 down against MK Dons to win 3-2, on loan Jonothan Forte netting two in that match. Southampton are also unbeaten in their last eight home league games, ever since a 2-0 loss to Brentford back in December, the only home defeat in that period coming unashamedly in a 2-1 reverse against Manchester United in the FA Cup.

Though Lambert is a technically gifted player at League 1 level the man in goalscoring form for the Saints is his strike partner, Lee Barnard. The 26 year old has scored six goals in his last eight games, his most prolific spell of the season, while attacking midfielder Adam Lallana is also into double figures in all competitions.

If Rovers are to claim anything from this weekends clash their will have to be Sterling performances from both Rovers centre backs Danny Coles and James Tunnicliffe. The latter started the first five games of the season for the Pirates before spending some time on the subs bench. Since then the defender, on loan from Brighton, has been in and out of the team but in recent weeks has found himself in much better form than he showed in his inconsistent start. Stuart Campbell has shown faith in the big centre half, bringing him back in from the cold for his first game in charge against Tranmere and including that match Tunnicliffe has been involved in four clean sheets out of seven since, beginning to look like the player that Rovers wanted when they signed him at the start of the season.

The overall record between the two clubs is far and away in the favour of Southampton, the Saints having won 15 of the 25 games played, Rovers winning 8. The last two results have not been in Rovers favour, Southampton coming away each time with a four goal winning margin, winning 4-0 earlier this season and 5-1 towards the end of the last, both at the Memorial Stadium. There is no need to be so downhearted though, as last season there was a win for the Gas against Southampton, and that one came at St Mary's.

Adam Lallana had his opener cancelled out by Chris Dickson before Lambert put his new side ahead with a header that came down off the crossbar. Jo Kuffour got a second leveller before Andy Williams cut inside in the 96th minute, touching the ball on and curling a superb left footed shot into Kelvin Davies' far corner, driving the travelling army of Gasheads wild and sending them home happy.



Rovers will give star striker Will Hoskins a late fitness test to determine whether his ankle has healed enough to allow him to play but Rene Howe, who only returned for a reserve team game this week, has picked up a hamstring injury and looks likely to miss out.

Danny Senda returned to training after being taken off with a knee injury against Exeter while Byron Anthony has recovered from the stomach bug that forced his late withdrawal last time out.

Adam Lallana came on as a substitute on Tuesday in recovery from a groin injury and will hope to regain his place in the side. Teenage winger Alex Oxlade-Chaimberlain is still on crutches after suffering an ankle injury against Charlton.

Richard Chaplow is 50/50 as to whether he will play for Southampton but it looks as though the game may come too soon for Morgan Schneiderlin to start.

Bristol Rovers assistant boss Craig Hinton spoke of how everyone was ready to face the Saints after the loss to Exeter at the weekend telling bristolrovers.co.uk:

"Everyone is fighting fit and fresh and everyone has a smile on their faces and are looking forward to Saturday's game.

"Rest is important at this point in the season, especially with the position we are in and a tough three games in seven days.

"Physically the Exeter game was hard, but mentally due to the position we are in, it was tough in that sense as well.

"Everyone was disappointed at the weekend, but they came in Tuesday bright and sharp and hopefully that disappointment has gone out of the window and we are all looking forward to Saturday."

Southampton boss Nigel Adkins expects Rovers to step up their game for the trip to St Mary's, he was speaking to saintsfc.co.uk when he said:

"I think it has been highlighted in every single game that we have played this season that the opposition manager or someone connected to them will turn around and say 'that is the best our team has played all season.'

"That is what will happen in every single game and we have to expect that, Bristol Rovers will be no different at the weekend, wherever they are in the league table, they will do everything that they can to try and raise their level to beat Southampton.

"We never underestimate the opposition. Every team will have their strengths and weaknesses. There will be opportunities and threats for them, but there will be opportunities and threats from ourselves.

"We are confident about our ability at this football club but we never underestimate the opposition, we never have done and we never will do, as you only do that at your peril."

Mystic Mousse Predicts

No matter how many times fellow fans tell you football is unpredictable we still think we know the game better than anyone else, even The Lord himself.

And so with five games left in Bristol Rovers agonising struggle to avoid the drop down from League 1 I thought I'd take some time to have a go at the BBC predictor for the division, these are my results.

When I started I believed that Plymouth and Swindon were already down so the final two relegation places were going to be filled by two out of Rovers, Tranmere, Dagenham & Redbridge, Notts County and Walsall so those are the sides I began focusing on with the table currently looking like this.

18 Tranmere P40 Pts 46
19 Dagenham P41 Pts 44
20 Walsall P41 Pts 43
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21 Rovers P41 Pts 43
22 County P40 Pts 42
23 Swindon P41 Pts 38

Saturday April 16th

A bad weekend for everyone involved, aside from Tranmere that is. They face a key fixture with Dagenham that could either send the Birkenhead side far away from the pack or see the Daggers move one win away from the fifty point mark. As it goes I thought that Dagenham would come out on top, Saturday saw them secure a simple 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Notts County and on Tuesday they suffered a harrowing 4-3 loss to league leaders Brighton, that result securing the Seagulls promotion.

I also had Rovers down to lose 2-0 to Southampton, and that's probably being kind. Even though the Pirates had been in good form prior to their defeat to Exeter at the weekend the manner of the performances have been none to impressive and they are likely to get punished by a Saints team that threaten from anywhere on the pitch.

Table
18 Dagenham P42 Pts 47 W1-0 Tranmere
19 Tranmere P41 Pts 46 L0-1 Dagenham
20 Walsall P42 Pts 43 L3-1 Brighton
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21 Rovers P42 Pts 43 L0-2 Southampton
22 County P41 Pts 42 L0-1 Bournemouth

Tuesday April 19th

Tranmere are involved in another crunch relegation tussle, this time with Notts County. Martin Allen was recently appointed as gaffer at County, their board getting rid of Paul Ince and taking one last throw of the dice on the Mad Dog. Allen was at Barnet for under a month before taking the County hotseat, winning two and drawing one game to give a side who looked almost dead and buried at the foot of League 2 a fighting chance of staying up and I can see a nine game losing streak coming to an end for his new side, gaining a point in a 1-1 draw, taking them back above the Gas on goal difference.

18 Dagenham P42 Pts 47
19 Tranmere P41 Pts 47 D1-1 Notts County
20 Walsall P42 Pts 43
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21 County P42 Pts 43 D1-1 Tranmere
22 Rovers P42 Pts 43

Friday April 22nd and Saturday April 23rd

Dagenham and Tranmere play Friday and earn a point apiece against Plymouth and Hartlepool respectively. Walsall and County both lose, though the match between Notts and Swindon is one of the most difficult to predict and the win for the Wiltshire side gives them a fighting chance of staying up, making it one of the biggest fixtures of the relegation battle, while Rovers pick up a point that takes them out of the drop zone against Charlton

18 Dagenham P43 Pts 48 D1-1 Plymouth
19 Tranmere P43 Pts 48 D1-1 Hartlepool
20 Rovers P43 Pts 44 D2-2 Charlton
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21 County P43 Pts 43 L2-1 Swindon
22 Walsall P43 Pts 43 L1-0 Sheff Weds

Monday April 25th

Easter Monday sees Rovers pick up a 1-0 victory over an off-colour Bournemouth side, their first win at Dean Court since February 2001. Dagenham and Tranmere both lose but still look fairly safe, both needing a win in one of their last two games to secure League 1 status for another season but County and Walsall look in a bad way after both lose. Swindon must win their last two and hope Rovers fail each time to stay up.

18 Dagenham P44 Pts 48 L3-0 Huddersfield
19 Tranmere P44 Pts 48 L2-1 Exeter
20 Rovers P44 Pts 47 W1-0 Bournemouth
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21 County P44 Pts 44 D0-0 Brentford
22 Walsall P44 Pts 44 D1-1 Oldham

Saturday April 30th

The Gas are still looking over their shoulders after a 2-1 defeat at the hand of Sheffield Wednesday but know that a point against Colchester on the last day would see them stay up. Dagenham claim a hame win against Carlisle to confirm their survival and as Walsall and Notts County also lose Tranmere will definately be a League 1 club next season. Swindon pick up a win over Oldham to move above Walsall.

18 Dagenham P45 Pts 51 W1-0 Carlisle
19 Tranmere P45 Pts 48 L1-0 Leyton Orient
20 Rovers P45 Pts 47 L2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
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21 County P45 Pts 44 L1-0 MK Dons
22 Swindon P45 Pts 44 W1-0 Oldham
23 Walsall P45 Pts 44 L2-1 Charlton

Saturday May 7th

A midweek 4-2 win against Plymouth meant that Southampton had secured promotion to the Championship.

Only one of the three teams on 44 points troubles Rovers, namely Swindon Town whose upturn in fortunes came just too late, Rovers taking the point they need to survive at Colchester to send their barmy army of travelling support home happy, Swindon's joy following their win over Tranmere being shortlived. County and Walsall lose again, not that that would have troubled the gleeful Pirates.

Brighton fail to reach the 100 point mark, finishing on 98 and Bournemouth draw with Rochdale to stay in the final play-off spot.

18 Dagenham P46 Pts 51 L0-2 Peterborough
19 Tranmere P46 Pts 48 L0-1 Swindon
20 Rovers P46 Pts 48 D2-2 Colchester
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21 Swindon P46 Pts 47 W1-0 Tranmere
22 County P46 Pts 44 L0-2 Brighton
23 Walsall P46 Pts 44 L0-1 Southampton

My results will most likely finish way off as some teams will pick up unexpected results that nobody could foresee. The last few seasons have seen teams need at least 50 points to stay up so my view of Swindon ending on 47 is very low. I have also predicted just a single win for Rovers when, in the most likely circumstances, they will need to win at least two more and get a point from somewhere else.

The last day fixtures do Rovers some favours with Dagenham having to face off with Peterborough, Walsall playing Southampton and Notts County up against Brighton in their final games a visit to a Colchester team firmly rooted in a mid-table position doesn't look as bad as it could for the Gas.

Indeed, Rovers final five games aren't as daunting as they looked at the start of the season. Southampton will undoubtedly be tough to beat and a point at St Mary's would be a superb result for a side that look decidedly dodgy, but after that comes Charlton who have dropped to 12th after a poor run and Bournemouth who, as mentioned earlier, are having a dreadful time of late. Sheffield Wednesday have struggled since beating the Gas 6-2 in December and should not be feared in front of a full house for the final game of the season at the Memorial Stadium before the trip to Essex.

Notts County are the team that could cause problems. Under Paul Ince they looked shot of confidence and, falling quickly, dead certs for the drop but Martin Allen will give them one last hope, a boost that could not have come any later and fray the nerves of the teams just above them.

So the key is to not lose heart, anything is possible and this last hour or so spent typing in results and writing up this blog has most likely been wasted, but nevertheless, it's wasted some time before the Tottenham V Real Madrid match this evening, not that that will be able to compare to the last five games of Rovers season.

Rovers Fall To Worthy Grecians

Bristol Rovers tamely surrendered their four game unbeaten run with a lacklustre display in defeat to Exeter City at the Memorial Stadium.

The home side never settled into a rhythm and the final scoreline of 2-0, both goals coming from half time substitute Daniel Nardiello, was a fair reflection of the game. The closest Rovers came were when a Danny Coles header bounced off of the top of the visitors crossbar and Jo Kuffour having a close range effort saved by City keeper Ben Hamer.

There were three changes to the Rovers side that faced Bournemouth on Tuesday night, talismanic striker Will Hoskins missing out due to an ankle injury suffered in the previous game while player-manager Stuart Campbell kept himself in the dugout with a dead calf. Byron Anthony was set to continue in the left back spot but was forced to retire from the starting line up prior to the start of the game, Gary Sawyer retaking his place in the side.

Exeter came out playing with a 3-5-2 formation that included former Rovers striker Jamie Cureton starting up front and looked dangerous from the off.

Richard Logan, scorer of the Grecians winner against Dagenham on Saturday, hit a curling effort that bounced off of his namesake Conrad's crossbar.

Rovers first dangerous attempt on goal came from midfielder Gavin Williams. After some good interplay with Reggie Lambe around the edge of the area Williams hit a well struck shot that unfortunately went straight into the waiting hands of Ben Hamer.

But Exeter continued to run the game and Conrad Logan had to be in inspired form to keep the game level, flinging himself to his right to keep out a Jamie Cureton header from seven yards, pushing it away from his goal.

Hamer was then forced to get his sleeves dirty as he was forced into a diving save from a Reggie Lambe effort, but that was as good as it got for the Gas in the first half, and things soon got worse.

Danny Senda pulled up having injured his knee and was unable to continue, on loan defender David McCracken the man to replace him in the right full back spot.

Ryan Harley was Exeter's key man throughout the match, showing good touches, a great range of passing and taking some dangerous efforts on goal, including one at the start of the second half that made Conrad Logan get everything behind the ball, catching it comfortably.

Chris Lines tried to take the game to the opposition and sent two shots towards goal in quick succession, the first bobbling harmlessly wide when the midfielder was always off balance while the second went wide again, though it was hit with slightly more power than the first.

Jamie Cureton showed that even at age 35 he was still up to the task, shooting goalwards after a free kick wasn't fully cleared and forcing Gary Sawyer to clear the ball off of his own goal line.

Williams continued to threaten with his distance shooting, driving a fierce effort right across the face of Hamer's goal.

Then came the moment that had been so hyped in the build up to the game, Marcus Stewart's final appearance in professional football. The former Rovers fans favourite made his way onto the field for Richard Logan after 66 minutes to rapturous applause from both sets of fans and, after Kuffour took a lobbed attempt far too early, he made his mark on the game.

Harry Pell was harried within his own half and lost possession, the ball subsequently being played out wide and Ryan Harley's cross was diverted into the path of Daniel Nardiello by Stewart, Logan rushing off his line towards the experienced forward, leaving former Manchester United trainee Nardiello with the simple task of blasting the ball into an open net.

Rovers tried to get back on terms immediately, Chris Lines running goalwards straight from the kick off, eventually being squeezed off the ball by the Grecian defence.

A further foray forward earned the home side a corner, Gavin Williams sending the ball deep into the penalty area where he found the head of Danny Coles who looped a header towards Hamer's goal but, unfortunately for Rovers, it bounced off the top of the bar and over. That wasn't to be it for the Gas, though, as they then wasted their best chance of the game.

Wayne Brown got onto the end of a ball into the area, only to see his blocked shot fall to Jo Kuffour who, from no more than five yards out, had his attempted finish saved by Hamer who showed that, despite his lack of action, he was still ready to be called upon when required.

That would be it for the Gas and two minutes into the added five Ryan Harley played Nardiello through on goal, the striker taking the ball around the on-rushing Conrad Logan before slipping it coolly into the net to kill off the game.

Rovers looked totally out of sorts today, as they have for the previous two games, but individual mistakes as well as a lack of luck cost them dearly as they slipped down a place to 20th in the League 1 table.

After the match Rovers caretaker boss Stuart Campbell came out and spoke to the press about how the camp felt they let themselves down after the defeat, saying:

"We are disappointed with the performance and the result, but if I am honest, we got what we deserved today.

"I don't know what the problem was today, but it was the third game at the end of a long week.

"We have had two big performances from the lads, and today we looked a bit leggy, and we didn't look like the Bristol Rovers we have seen in the last six games.

"The atmosphere was great, the fans played their part, but unfortunately for whatever reason we didn't."

Here We Go Again

His legs are like jelly, his palms are sweaty and his throat is sore and then it comes, the deafness. But he doesn't care, he's not ill, he's just spent ninety minutes cheering, willing the Bristol Rovers side he holds so close to his heart to a nerve shredding victory over promotion chasing Bournemouth.

The deafness? That comes courtesy of six thousand fellow Rovers fans roaring as the final whistle goes at the Memorial Stadium, the loudest for many a season. Hope turns to relief, nerves turn to uncontrollable joy, Bristol Rovers turn from a side in the quagmire of the League 1 relegation zone to a team in the safe haven of nineteenth place. And there's no doubt that he'll be back to do it all again when Rovers face Exeter on Saturday.

That Bournemouth win came thanks to a Jeff Hughes penalty, that despite the visitors having far more of the game. It was the second game in a row that Rovers have been outplayed yet still managed to claim a victory and at this stage of the season it's not how you do it, as long as you get the result at the end of the day, a similar result against Exeter on Saturday would be welcomed with the same rapturous greeting as the end of the tussle with the Cherries.

It's been an inconsistent season for the Grecian's, half decent streaks often being tempered by a winless run but they still find themselves in tenth place in League 1, though being eight points behind Bournemouth means that a play off place is highly unlikely, just don't tell development coach Andy Tillson that;

"We are still playing for something as well, we trying to get in the play offs if possible and until its mathematically impossible then we will still play for that. We need to go out there and impress our fans and get as many points as we possibly can."

In their last six Exeter have won four and lost two, the two defeats coming in the middle of that run, three of those victories, however, have come at home. On the road they have won just once in their last four, suffering two heavy defeats at Peterborough (3-0) and Colchester (5-1). Interestingly Exeter's away record this term is the same as Rovers stats at home, won six, drawn five, lost nine, so this could be tighter than many think, especially with the Rovers squad being galvanised by the appointment of Stuart Campbell.

Under Dave Penney the Gas lost nine of thirteen games but Campbell has made a big difference both on and off the pitch. His new charges have won four of the six games since he took over, three of which came on the road and the last two in a row, a win over Yeovil preceding the Bournemouth triumph. Campbell's other two home games have finished with an undeserved loss to Huddersfield, two late goals being disallowed, and a fighting 2-2 draw against Peterborough, Will Hoskins and Jo Kuffour failing when one-on-one against Joe Lewis. With Rovers unbeaten in four and full of confidence the squad will be eager to get onto the pitch and pull themselves further away from the relegation zone.

Friday morning came the announcement from Exeter that this weekends game would mark the end of the playing career of Marcus Stewart. The Bristol born striker started his career with Rovers, scoring 79 goals in a five year stint including a goal at Wembley against Huddersfield, the side that he would go on to join. He moved to Ipswich where he scored nineteen in the 2000/01 season, finishing as the Premier League's second highest goalscorer, and subsequently joined Sunderland where he spent a further three seasons. Moves to Bristol City and Yeovil followed before he ended up at current club Exeter, scoring his 250th career goal against Carlisle in 2009.

Stewart has made 782 appearances in the professional game and, yet to score this season, would dearly love to go out with a bang against his former club, noting the significance of ending his career against Rovers, telling exetercityfc.co.uk:

"I thought it was a good thing to do at Rovers because I started off there and I finished there and it gives someone else an opportunity for the final five games."

He may not be a prolific goalscorer like Stewart but one of the Pirates in form players is right back Danny Senda. The former Southampton trainee played over 200 times for Wycombe before joining Millwall in 2006 and made 87 appearances for the Lions before a knee injury struck in the final game of the 2007/08 season. Senda would spend sixteen months recovering fully and was eventually released by Millwall in June 2009. After a year out of the game he would next join Torquay on a short term contract last September, making just three starts for the club before being let go, subsequently joining the Gas.


During his nine matches for his new club Senda has shown that he is not only solid defensively but also has ability further up the pitch, not afraid to overlap the midfielder ahead of him. He has quickly become a fans favourite for his 100% effort and exuberant celebrations whenever a teammate scores, Gasheads already calling on the club to offer him a permanent contract past the end of the season.

There has already been two games between the sides this season, both finishing 2-2. Will Hoskins has gotten onto the scoresheet in each of those games, netting his first goal for the club in August's league game. The second match of the season came in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and, after the two sides couldn't be separated after ninety minutes, Exeter went on to win on penalties, Byron Anthony missing the all important spot kick for Rovers, compounding an awful night that also saw the defender concede an own goal. Whichever side comes out with a win on Saturday will take the lead in the overall record between the clubs, each side having taken 25 wins in the 80 matches played, the other thirty finishing level.

In team news for the Gas Will Hoskins is out of the game with an ankle injury. It had been hoped that he would recover in time having taken the knock in Tuesday's game but it was to be too soon for him.

Gary Sawyer is in a similar situation having suffered a groin injury in training on Monday.

Exeter will be able to call on defenders Troy Archibald-Henville, who had been struggling with a knee injury, and Liam Sercombe as they recover from knocks.

Rovers assistant manager Craig Hinton is confident that the club can avoid the drop, talking about how the players are in a good mental state, he told bristolrovers.co.uk:

"I think the confidence is high at the moment, and I hope we can take that into Saturday.

"We have done part of the hard work, getting out of the bottom four, it is just staying out of that now. The lads are all positive and it is a big game on Saturday.

"Everyone knows that it is a big task still, and we need to keep going and stay together.

"I think we can play even better, I think we have the ability in the side to do that. As long as we keep the work rate, the enthusiasm and the togetherness that can only achieve greater things."

Former Rovers defender Andy Tillson, the clubs record £375,000 signing, previewed the game with exetercityfc.co.uk talking about how the game will be one to watch, saying:

"I am looking forward to it, they've done really well recently and we have a real job to do.

"You have to beat the teams down the bottom of the league, you can't go losing to them and beating sides at the top.

"It's a really good game to look forward to at this stage of the season and we have to make sure we make it hard for them.

"We will have a good following there being only an hour down the road, the atmosphere will be great, you are guaranteed that, and our fans were fantastic when we went up there earlier in the season.

"The Rovers fans will be right behind them whatever situation they are in and back them to the hilt."

Rovers Take Three More Points Against Battling Bournemouth

Bristol Rovers clambered out of the bottom four of League 1 with a hard fought win over AFC Bournemouth.

Jeff Hughes scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot after Gavin Williams was brought down. Despite hitting the crossbar Rovers had to soak up a great deal of pressure during the second half, including clearing one Cherries effort off their line but their defence held firm to take three points that mean so much.

There was one change to the Rovers starting line up, weekend goalscorer Gavin Williams coming in for Harry Pell. Lee Bradbury also tinkered with his team, Stephen Purches starting at left back in place of Rhoys Wiggins with veteran Steve Fletcher starting in place of Manchester City loanee Donal McDermott.

The Cherries looked dangerous from the off, winger Marc Pugh being the first player to have a great chance of scoring, shooting straight at Conrad Logan's legs.

A Bournemouth corner straight from the training pitch in front of the Blackthorn End was sent in low and hard, central defender Jason Pearce running across the area and firing wide.

Steve Fletcher was a thorn in Rovers side throughout and it was his knockdown to Ings that had the home defence scrambling, but thankfully for the Gas he was unable to find his range, his shot flying high over the crossbar.

Logan was again called into action soon after, Danny Ings played through with a ball over the top but Logan rushed off his line and stayed big, the young strikers shot thumping back off of the Irish keepers chest.

Bournemouth continued to come forward in waves, a cross from Marc Pugh on the left wing found the head of Fletcher who forced Logan into a fine diving save.

Will Hoskins had to have physio Phil Kite come onto the field to look at a possible ankle injury but bravely battled on. It was, however, to be too much for the Rovers top scorer who broke down in front of the home dugout, eventually being replaced by winger Reggie Lambe, a move which saw Rovers play with a five man midfield, Williams sat just behind lone striker Jo Kuffour.

It was former Arsenal trainee Kuffour who slashed wide before the key moment of the match arrived. Jeff Hughes broke away down the left and his ball into the box was not properly cleared and fell for Gavin Williams who nudged the ball on, only to see his run abruptly stopped by the sliding challenge of Adam Smith. Referee Graham Salisbury gave the spot kick and Jeff Hughes stepped up to the plate, sending Shwan Jalal the wrong way to score his eleventh goal of the season and open the scoring.

The second half kicked off with the visitors taking the ball towards the Rovers area but it was Chris Lines who broke away, running from the halfway line to within six yards of the byline in the penalty area, his shot deflecting wide for a corner.

The closest Bournemouth came to an equaliser was from captain Danny Hollands whose volley from two yards within the area was cleared off of the line by the head of James Tunnicliffe who put in another commanding performance at the heart of the Rovers defence.

Rovers came so close to doubling their lead through Lines, the midfielder driving a free kick from thirty yards against Jalal's crossbar, the Iraqi keeper rooted to the spot as he watched the effort sail goalwards before bouncing away off the woodwork.

Anton Robinson dragged two shots wide and Ings had Conrad Logan flinging himself to his right before Jeff Hughes forced Jalal into a stop, holding onto the ball well as he fell to one side.

Donal McDermott came on as a late Bournemouth sub and looked confident from the off, twice cutting inside Danny Senda, the right back having an otherwise fine game, but firing his shots at Logan who turned the ball behind each time.

There was to be no way through for the away side, though, and as the final whistle went the loudest cheer heard in the Memorial Stadium this season erupted and chants of 'Goodnight Irene' and 'we are staying up' reverberated around pillars and posts on all four sides of the ground, Rovers had pulled themselves out of the bottom four for the first time since November.

After the game Rovers player-manager Stuart Campbell spoke of the pride he had in his squad for hanging on to take the points:

"I am immensely proud of the players. The effort, determination, commitment and desire was all there in abundance. It was clear for everyone to see how much the game meant for everyone tonight.

"Defensively from front to back they were phenomenal, and you could not single anyone of them out. They were all unbelievable, and they all put their bodies on the line.

"People put their bodies on the line, which is brilliant that we know they are doing that for the cause. The intensity of the performance was unbelievable, so we will try and look after everyone to make sure that come Saturday at 3pm everyone is 100% and raring to go."

Bournemouth boss Lee Bradbury was not so pleased with the result despite the way his side applied themselves throughout, saying:

"We dominated for long spells and they only had one shot on target other than the penalty. I thought the lads did well and created a lot of chances. After Rovers went 1-0 up, they sat back and tried to guard it and that's fair play to them.

"It was one of those nights when it just didn't drop for us. They defended for their lives and were buzzing at the end with the result and that speaks volumes with the way we played.

"I thought we applied ourselves very well and created a lot of chances and on another day, if we were a bit more clinical, we would have won comfortably.

"The performance was there and we pinned back a home side for long spells and in fact we looked more like the home team and the simple fact is that we should have won."

Rovers Look To Break Bournemouth Spell

It's fair to describe what Stuart Campbell has performed during his brief stint in charge of Bristol Rovers as wizardry. The player-manager has saddled a brand new broomstick and taken the club for a ride but he may have to wave his wand with a little more verve if he is to take anything out of Tuesday nights game against AFC Bournemouth.

The Cherries appear to have a curse over Rovers, claiming victory the last five times the sides have met, with an aggregate score of nine goals to one. Those games occurred in little over a year and saw three cup ties played. Jo Kuffour, now of Rovers, scored two against his current club during his time at Dean Court while Sammy Igoe, scorer of goals at both the Millenium Stadium and Wembley for the Gas, netted for the south coast side the season after he left Rovers in 2008.

Rovers last beat Bournemouth in 2006, Richard Walker scoring the winner in an FA Cup replay but in order to find a league victory for the Gas you have to go back to 2001, a Nathan Ellington two minute double salvo earning them a 2-1 win by the sea. Travel a further two seasons and you will see a Pirates home win, nearly thirteen years ago in 1998, Jame Shore grabbing the only goal of a game that saw referee Gurnam Singh card happy, sending off both Rob Trees and Jason Roberts for the home side.

Looking at the league table you'd think that none of this was about to change but the two sides have seen changes in fortune over recent weeks.

Since Stuart Campbell took over the Rovers reins from Dave Penney the Pirates have lost just a single game, having two late equalisers controversially disallowed against Huddersfield, winning three and drawing the final game of the Scottish youth internationals spell. Rovers have collected ten points out of the last fifteen, a decent return for a team that had previously won only twice in a staggering 22 games, a record that saw them drop from 9th down to 23rd in the League One standings.

All three of those wins since have been away from home though, and Rovers have struggled in their own backyard, just two wins have been witnessed by the Memorial Stadium crowd in the last six and a half months. The last two home games, however, have shown much more spirit among the players and fans alike, the last game at the Mem finishing 2-2 against a free-scoring Peterborough outfit riding high and fighting for automatic promotion. Bournemouth, on the other hand, look out of sorts.

The Cherries haven't won any of their last five games, losing three in a row before earning two consecutive draws. Their last result came on the road, a 3-3 draw with Peterborough, and the three goals could all be described as fortuitous in their nature.

First of all Boro keeper Joe Lewis flew off his line to punch away a corner, failing to connect and allowing Danny Ings to prod home. Steve Fletcher looped a header in from the tightest of angles and then Adam Smith hit a grasscutting shot that rolled agonisingly under the right arm of Lewis, compounding a dreadful night for the unfortunate custodian.

Bournemouth have had to endure the loss of three key men this season, namely Brett Pitman, Josh McQuoid and Eddie Howe. Pitman, scorer of 28 goals last term, left just three games into the season, scoring a hat-trick against Peterborough that drew attention from Premier League Blackpool, the striker eventually joining Bristol City for a rumoured £1million fee.

Fans could have lost hope but up stepped young Northern Irishman Josh McQuoid who scored 12 goals in 18 games including hat-tricks in consecutive matches before signing for Millwall, initially on loan before a permanent deal was struck in January. Howe, a defender who made 313 appearances for Bournemouth, took over as first team manager on New Years Eve 2008 and has never looked back since.

In his first half season in charge he hauled in a seven point deficit to avoid relegation, having started the season on -17 points. His first full season in charge saw the Cherries finish as runners up to Notts County, earning promotion to League 1, all despite having a transfer embargo hanging over their heads. By the time he left for Burnley in January he had lead his side to 3rd in the League 1 table, that despite losing two prolific strikers and having minimal transfer funds to play with. Lee Bradbury was placed in temporary charge, going on a ten game unbeaten spell before the recent dip in form.


Bournemouth carry a great deal of their threat from the wide areas and the Rovers full backs will have to watch out for both Marc Pugh and Liam Feeney come game time. Pugh, signed from Hereford in the summer, leads the way in both Bournemouth's goals and assists columns, totalling at 13 and 11 respectively. Feeney has created a further eight goals for his side but is the much more exciting player to watch. He possesses great pace and likes to take on his man, wreaking havoc whichever wing he is on, having the ability to both cut in and shoot or push around his defender and cross.

Undeniably the Bristol Rovers man in form is goalkeeper Conrad Logan and Bournemouth will have to work hard to get the ball past the Irish keeper. Since joining Logan has become a highly popular stopper, two penalty saves in two games and a host of other fine saves have seen him deserving the Rovers man of the match title on numerous occasions. He again proved to be in inspired form when Rovers faced Yeovil on Saturday, taking all three points away from Huish Park, a diving save to keep out Adam Virgo the pick of a bunch of fine blocks.

This will be the third attempt to play this fixture, the original tie was scheduled to be played on December 4th but the winter snowstorm paid an end to that. The re-arranged tie in February was again postponed due to a waterlogged playing surface at the Memorial Stadium, Cherries gaffer Lee Bradbury not taking kindly to the late call off, the pitch inspection not taking place until 6PM when his team and many of their fans had already travelled.

Rovers are likely to name an unchanged line up from Saturday's win over Yeovil, though Gavin Williams match-winning substitute performance did stake a claim for a place in midfield.

Despite having served his two match ban Gary Sawyer is highly likely to be missing after picking up a groin injury in training.

Ben Swallow has returned to training this week but will not be fit in time for this clash.

Michael Symes will not recover from his abductor muscle injury before kick off but veteran forward Steve Fletcher could move up from the bench after coming on and scoring in the Cherries last game. That also means Steve Lovell, who returned to the bench on Friday night, will have to make do with a sub role.

Influential midfielder and captain Danny Hollands will face a fitness test to see if he has recovered from a knock on his foot suffered against Peterborough.

Assistant manager Craig Hinton was the man to step up and face the Bristol press, talking of the spirit in the camp and how it can carry them through their next big test:

"There is a lot of confidence about the place at the moment, and we have got to take that momentum and take each game as it comes. It is both in our hands and out of our hands at the same time.

"It is going to be a tough game, they are a good side, they are near the top for a reason, but we are looking forward to it. If we go out and keep producing what we have for the last few games, you never know.

"We have not done well against them in recent times, but hopefully the voodoo will turn. There is a lot at stake at the moment, so hopefully that bad run will stop and we will take three points tomorrow."