Stevenage Football Club welcome Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers to The Lamex this Saturday for a 3pm kick-off in Sky Bet League Two…
Paul Tisdale’s men look to return to winning ways after defeat at home to Bradford City was followed by a 0-0 draw at Barrow. Bristol Rovers, on the other hand, aim to build on Tuesday’s 2-0 win at home to 5th placed Sutton United. A win for The Gas this Saturday would be the club’s first ever victory against Stevenage.
Saturday’s opponents were founded in 1883 as Black Arabs FC before joining the Southern League in 1899 as Bristol Rovers. They clinched the Southern League title in 1905 and were admitted to The Football League in 1920. The Gas won the Third Division South in 1953 and were promoted to the Second Division where they spent nine campaigns before eventual relegation.
Rovers won the Third Division title in 1990, though this time lasted just three seasons in the second tier and were relegated back into the Fourth tier by 2001.
The club won the League Two play-off final in 2007, but relegations in 2011 and 2014 saw them drop into the Conference. However, they immediately returned to The Football League through victory in the 2015 play-off final. Back-to-back promotions resulted in The Gas returning to the third tier but were relegated last season to Sky Bet League Two where they now play their football.
Rovers are currently sat in eleventh place in Sky Bet League Two under the management of former Premier League player Joey Barton. The side have won eleven league matches this season, drawing eight and losing ten. Their current top scorer is Aaron Collins with eight goals in all competitions.
Stevenage and Bristol Rovers have met just four times in the past with The Gas failing to win one of them. Boro’s first of three wins against Rovers came in 2015 as Chris Whelpdale and Steven Schumacher contributed to a 2-1 win at
The Memorial Stadium. This season’s reverse fixture ended 2-0 to Stevenage, thanks to late goals from Chris Lines and Luke Norris.
Referee - Andy Woolmer
Assistant Referee 1 - George Byrne
Assistant Referee 2 - Sam Lewis
Fourth Official - Sam Allison
Stay connected with Stevenage FC on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and TikTok for latest news, exclusive interviews and match highlights.
iFollow offers an Audio Match Pass for £2.50 for supporters who cannot attend The Lamex but still wish to follow the action.