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.