Score predictions - Bristol Rovers home

Bristol Rovers visit Oakwell this weekend, having started the season in similar fashion to us. The Gas are 2 places and 2 goals behind us in the table, and similarly are 2 points off the play off places. The Pirates are 100/30 to upset the applecart at the weekend and take 3 points back to the Memorial Stadium, with the Reds currently 8/11 favourites to win our first home league game of the season.


On home soil, the Gas have been formidable so far this season, winning both games without conceding a goal. It's away from the Mem that they've struggled, drawing at Rotherham in a game where they were comfortably second best, and losing to current league leaders, Stockport County. They've also crashed out of the league cup on unfamiliar soil, losing at Cardiff in round 1. Rovers away form at the end of last season wasn't particularly spectacular either; in the league, they've only won 1 of their last 8, in fact that 3-1 win over Cheltenham is the only away game they've scored in, in the last 8. Given the Reds haven't won in 9 League 1 games (5 draws 4 defeats), the Gas may fancy their chances at improving that record.


Our record at home to Bristol Rovers is favourable historically. We've won 10 of our 18 meetings, including the last 5 dating back to 1991. We've scored 4 goals in 4 of those wins, including a 1999 FA Cup win where Craig Hignett scored a hat-trick. Since our relegation from the Championship in 2022, we've won both meetings at home by a 5-1 aggregate scoreline, with Devante Cole being the common scorer in those, and Corey O'Keeffe and Josh Benson being scorers who are still at Oakwell.


Former Reds in the Pirates ranks include Jack Hunt, who spent a brief spell on loan at Oakwell 10 years ago without making much of an impact, and spent a lot of his spell here in the treatment room. A more familiar face in the Gas squad is Luke Thomas, who made 87 league appearances for the Reds between 2019 and 2023, scoring 3 times including on his debut against Fulham. His time here was also plagued with injury, particularly his final year when he'd just began to make an impact. As far as I can tell, there aren't any former Gas players in the Reds ranks, though of course, Darrell Clark led them to back to back promotions during a 4 year spell there as manager.


With the deadline day addition of 2 forwards, and our 2 other main strikers potentially sidelined, Darrell Clarke will once again tinker with the lineup. He played the old Gareth Southgate 'as many right wing backs as possible' tactic in the win at Crawley, and given the form of at least 2 of them, it's difficult to say who gets the hook. Whilst I'm not convinced DKD will regularly be played in a front 2, given the personnel available, I can see him being tried there for this one, alongside fellow new signing Stephen Humphrys. Jon Russell and Vimal Yoganathan will both miss the game due to their respective international call ups, which will likely see a return to the bench for Conor Hourihane, demonstrating the depth we have in midfield at least. I personally would like to see Lofthouse retain his place in the 11 over O'Keeffe though I reckon Clarke will favour the latter.



Rovers are set to be without Kamil Conteh and Michael Forbes, both of who have been called up to play in the upcoming September international break for Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland's u21s respectively. Conteh in particular could be a big miss, as he's been an ever present in the league for Rovers so far, and according to fotmob, is one of the form defensive midfielders in the league. 35 year old James Wilson at centre half is the highest scoring Gas player on Fotmob, a testiment to their tight defensive performances so far. The aforementioned Luke Thomas has 2 assists to his name so far this season, and Reds summer transfer target, Promise Omochere, leads the scoring charts after a brace against Cambridge last weekend. I'm also a big fan of new signing Ruel Sotiriou, who is a busy second striker; the former Leyton Orient man found the net in his last visit to Oakwell and netted 11 times for the O's last season. Last season's leading marksman Chris Martin, who also scored at Oakwell, is currently out with a broken leg.



Ed Duckworth is the referee for this one. He took charge of the Reds 3-2 away win at Carlisle earlier in the year. He scored quite well with the BBS faithful in that one, and ranked 7th in the ref watch table. Corey O'Keeffe, Connor Grant and Ben Killip were booked in that one. He's never taken charge of Bristol Rovers, though he's only been a league ref for 1 full season. He's issued 11 yellows in 3 games so far this season. He also issued a red in his last outing, for former Red, Matty Pearson.


A 4 goal win for us, and anything other than a win for Charlton would see us go top of the league on Saturday. A tactical cash out after Marsh replaced Watters last week, and a cheeky 3-0 replacement bet means I'm now in profit for the season (£9.70). Coincidentally, since I stopped predicting Phillips to score, he's begun finding the net. I fancy this to be a low scoring affair, with the Gas struggling to find the net away from home, but being defensively fairly tight. I'm backing 1-0 Barnsley at 6/1, and fancy DKD to get off the mark for the season on his debut.

 

Solid 2-0. Improving defensively. Nat Lofthouse first goal.

 

Colliers 3 Pirates 1

 

A nervy 2-1 win and a place in the top 6

 

We have to win a home league game at some point , however I wouldn't fancy steaming in at 8/11

 

2-1 Reds. Reds.

 

5-0

Humphreys 2, Phillips 2, DKD.

 

2-2

 

If Humphreys hasn't had a pre season then I doubt he will be in the team. But you never know how up to speed someone is 3-0

 

1-1

 

Thank God that Coldplay gimp is injured, he's always a handful

 

He was training with Wigan for a while, though I don't know if he was just keeping fit.

I guess it's a case of needs must of Watters and Cosgrove are out, even if we only get a half out of Humphrys.

 

Probably too busy douching his wife's vulva to be bothered showing his face at Oakwell.

 

We didn’t sign two strikers on deadline day. I'd argue we didn't even sign one. They're attacking players but they're not strikers any more than Hignett and Glavin were strikers.

 

2-1 - home league win at last.

 

Agreed. And yet I'm very confident we've got plenty of goals in us now. Hope I'm right.

 

Edited.

 

Dangerous side Bristol. I’d say this is the hardest of the 3 home games so far. Can see another frustrating draw.

 

Really enjoy reading these. Very well put together so thanks for doing them.

 

I’m going for a 2-2