Bristol Rovers v Millwall Match Preview

 

By Simon Gray

Bristol Rovers head into the final day of the League One season knowing that they have a chance of stopping their opposition from reaching the play offs.

Rovers entertain sixth place Millwall at the Memorial Stadium, who need a win to ensure a play off position.

Before defeat at Peterborough last time out, Rovers were also in with a shout of a top six finish but will have to settle for a top ten one now.

Manager Darrell Clarke is already preparing for next season, releasing his retained list this week with strikers Rory Gaffney and Ellis Harrison among those who have been offered new deals.

Cristian Montano was among eight senior players not offered new deals and Clarke spoke of his decision to let the Colombian go.

“It’s always a difficult thing to do,” Clarke explained to the Bristol Post.

 

“It was a lot easier three years ago after we got relegated. But it’s always difficult when you’ve spent time with the players, I want to thank them massively for their efforts, but football doesn’t stand still.

“Montano was a very tough decision, it was borderline really. But there has to be a freshness and a bigger freshness than we’ve had in the last couple of seasons.”

Clarke does not have any fresh injury concerns but may choose to only play the players that are going to be around next season, meaning Bob Harris and Luke James will miss out.

Millwall go into the game knowing that only a win will guarantee a play off place.

The Lions sit in sixth place at the moment on 70 points with Southend in seventh on 69 points and Rochdale in eighth on 68 points.

Millwall lost in the play off final last season to Barnsley and they will want to go one better but a draw or defeat could mean League One football next season and striker Steve Morison has called on his teammates to perform on Sunday.

“The big games call for big performances from big players,” Morison told the Evening Standard.

“We need 11 on Sunday. We let ourselves down against Oxford. We had a great opportunity to get into the play-offs but we ruined that with our performance. The main positive that we have to take out of it is that we have still got our fate in our own hands.

“We have now got a one-game season and we have got to stick it all out there. There is going to be a lot of pressure on us. It is a case of dealing with it.”

Shaun Hutchinson is Millwall’s only doubt ahead of the match after he suffered a cracked rib and boss Neil Harris had hoped he would be available.

If Hutchinson does not make the starting eleven then Jake Cooper will continue in the centre of defence alongside Byron Webster.

Stats

The last time the two sides met was back in November, Millwall won 4-0 at the Den.

The last time the two sides met at the Memorial Stadium was back in 2009 where goals from Jeff Hughes and Chris Lines ensured a 2-0 win for the Gas.

Rovers have won their last three home matches against Millwall, the scores being 2-1, 4-2 and 2-0.

Peterborough United v Bristol Rovers Match Preview

 

By Simon Gray

Bristol Rovers head to Peterborough United this weekend with the possibility of a play off place.

The Pirates looked as if their play off chase was over after a Good Friday defeat to Gillingham but with results going their way on Easter Monday, they are still in with a chance, albeit a slim one.

Rovers will have to win though to stand any chance of getting into the top six and manager Darrell Clarke knows that although Peterborough have not much to play for, it will be a difficult match.

“It’s another tough, tough game, it’s only the arrogant people that look at teams and think we can beat them because they’re there,” Clarke told the Bristol Post.

“It doesn’t work like that, you have to earn the right to win every single game so we’ll have to be at our best to beat Peterborough – as we have to be to beat any team in this league.”

Clarke has a striker problem on his hands with Luke James ineligible and Rory Gaffney doubtful, so Easter Monday match winner Ellis Harrison may lead the line on his own.

Peterborough go into the match in indifferent form but manager Grant McCann knows that his side do have the possibility of a top half finish for the first time in three seasons and could match last season’s home win total of nine with a win on Saturday.

“We want to finish our home campaign with a bang. If we win tomorrow we match last season’s number of home wins as well,” McCann told the Peterborough Telegraph.

“It’s important we finish this season well to take us into next season in good spirits.

“It’s a tough game tomorrow obviously. Bristol Rovers have enjoyed an excellent season and to still be in with a chance of back-to-back promotions is a great credit to them and a manager who knows the club well.”

“He kept a lot of last season’s successful squad and he’s added quality to it. They are a tough team to beat.

“We struggled at their place earlier in the season before we managed to win with a late goal. But we have incentives tomorrow as well. We will be having a good go at them.”

McCann will have 17-year-olds Lewis Freestone and Andrea Borg will be in the Posh squad tomorrow, but on-loan midfielder Martin Samuelsen has returned to West Ham. Central defender Jack Baldwin is also available after missing the Easter programme because of illness.

Stats

Peterborough have only won two of their last 10 matches, Rovers have won four of their last six.

Peterborough came from behind to win 2-1 when these two sides met earlier in the season, Tom Nichols scoring the winning goal in added time.

Rovers have not beaten Peterborough in any of their previous five encounters.

 

 

 

Bristol Rovers v Oldham Athletic Match Preview

By Simon Gray

Darrell Clarke’s Bristol Rovers will be looking to bounce back from Good Friday’s away defeat at Gillingham when they entertain 17^th place Oldham Athletic at the Memorial Stadium.

The Gas have not lost at home since November and will want to finish the season strongly despite the play offs being all but out of the question.

Rovers’ disappointing result at Gillingham may have ended their play off hopes but manager Darrell Clarke has insisted that they can be proud of their efforts this term.

“We should be proud of our achievement this season, it’s no mean feat. We have to decide as a football club what we want to do, we cannot keep overachieving every year,” Clarke told the Bristol Post.

“I’ve got to sit down and make sure that we keep moving forward. I think I said three years ago that this club should be competing in the top half of League One.

“Now we need to take it forward, things need to move quickly.”

Clarke will potentially reshuffle the pack after Friday’s defeat. Defender Danny Leadbitter and striker Rory Gaffney are both out of the match through injury but could return for the penultimate game of the season next weekend at Peterborough.

Oldham visit the South West also in good form having lost just once in their previous seven games.

Oldham’s win over local rivals Bolton on Saturday also opened the gap between them and the relegation zone to six points, although Port Vale do have a game in hand.

Manager John Sheridan will have Chris Taylor back after he was ineligible for the win over Bolton but defender Rob Hunt will miss the rest of the season with a groin injury. Striker Michael Ngoo will miss the match through suspension.

 Stats

The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 2-0 win for Rovers.

The last fixture between the sides at the Memorial Stadium ended in a 1-0 Rovers win thanks to a goal from Rene Howe.

This will be the 58^th meeting between the two sides, Rovers have won 24, Oldham have won 19 and there have been 14 draws from the previous 57 encounters.

Gillingham v Bristol Rovers Match Preview

 

By Simon Gray

With just four games to go in the Sky Bet League One season, two teams in very different circumstances meet at Priestfield.

Relegation-threatened Gillingham entertain play-off chasing Bristol Rovers this Good Friday in a match where both sides really need all three points.

Gillingham go into the match having not won in five and are in 20^th place sitting precariously above the relegation zone but manager Ady Pennock is ready to go to war.

“We are building a bit of momentum and are on our front foot,” Pennock told KentOnline.

“We have got four massive games and hopefully we turn up. We can’t not.

“There were a lot of words said the week before after MK Dons and at half-time.

“A lot of harsh words were said by myself – honest words – because we are in a dogfight. We are at war, at war against every team we play.”

The Gills could be without central defender Zesh Rehman for both of their Easter matches after he picked up a hamstring injury in the draw with Millwall last time out. Bradley Dack is serving the second of his two-game suspension so will miss the match against Rovers.

Bristol Rovers go into the game on the back of a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town and now sit just four points behind sixth place Millwall and although a chance of a play-off place is slim, it is still in reach.

But manager Darrell Clarke has said that his side are not looking at the league table.

“We don’t worry about league tables, we know where we are and we know what we’ve got to do so we’ll concentrate on our own business,” Clarke told the Bristol Post.

“Gillingham are fighting for their lives and I’d imagine it’ll be another difficult surface and the pitch will probably be quite lively.”

Clarke also, although not naming any individuals, admitted that a few players have picked up knocks this week so his team selection could prove to be an interesting one, especially with Oldham’s visit to the Memorial Stadium on Easter Monday.

“We’ve picked up quite a few knocks, to be honest with you, so we’ll assess that and see where we are come the weekend,”

“Unfortunately it’s not a good time for us to pick up injuries but we’ll get on with it. No excuses, we’ll pick a team for a busy Easter period starting with Gillingham away.”

Stats

The last time the two sides met was in October where a late Rovers comeback ensured they took all three points. The goal scorers that day were Chris Lines and Ellis Harrison.

Rovers have had two previous visits to Priestfield to forget, losing 4-1 in 2011 and 4-0 on their last visit in 2012.

Rovers’ last away win at Gillingham came six visits ago, in 1999. They have lost all five away matches since.

AFC Wimbledon v Bristol Rovers Match Preview

By Simon Gray

Two teams that have both consolidated their League One status after promotion meet with just five games to go as AFC Wimbledon entertain Bristol Rovers at Kingsmeadow.

Rovers go into the game still dreaming of a play-off place following their 2-0 victory at home to Shrewsbury last weekend.

But with Rovers will quickly have to address their away form if they want any chance of making the top six. Rovers play three of their final five league games away from the Memorial Stadium but have only won four of their last 20 away league matches and manager Darrell Clarke is keen to tackle his side’s poor form on their travels.

“It certainly needs to be addressed,” he told the Bristol Post.

“We’re looking into everything, but we’ve been unfortunate at times away from home.

“I thought we played well at Bramall Lane, and unfortunate at Southend – I thought a penalty decision cost us two points. Chesterfield away we were by far the better team, and we’ve had disappointing performances at Shrewsbury and Port Vale – we drew that one. We were also outstanding at Bolton.

“It’s fine lines – we’re addressing that between now and end of the season and into the new season.”

Clarke will probably be without Peter Hartley, although the goal scoring defender has returned to full training following an Achilles injury. Clarke may also be without midfielder Ollie Clarke who limped off during the win over Shrewsbury but striker Ellis Harrison is in contention for a starting role after he was named on the bench last time out.

Wimbledon meanwhile are four places behind Rovers, sitting in 13^th but are in fairly inconsistent form, picking up two wins, one draw and three defeats in their last six games.

The Dons won their last home game though against one of Rovers’ rivals for sixth place, scoring three goals in four minutes to beat Rochdale 3-1.

Manager Neal Ardley’s has a selection headache on his hands though with a bug hitting the squad as well as injuries.

“We’ve had a real glut of illness as three or four players have gone down with stomach bugs and I am 90 per cent sure it will rule them out of Saturday”, Ardley told the club’s website.

“We also have a couple of injuries so we are definitely going to be five key first-team players short on Saturday, which is a real blow for us, particularly when we want to respond to a defeat.

“We always look at it and think that it brings an opportunity for others. We will have a look at the personnel and look at the best way to tackle Bristol Rovers. As long as the team that we put out goes out there and gives everything and really has a proper go, showing that passion that the club deserves, no one can complain.”

Stats

Rovers’ on-loan Stoke defender Ryan Sweeney started his career at AFC Wimbledon, spending 10 years in the academy before making 13 appearances for the senior side.

The reverse fixture between these two sides ended with Rovers winning 2-0 on New Year’s Eve at the Memorial Stadium.

The last time these two sides met at Kingsmeadow ended in a 0-0 draw last season. Defender Paul Robinson was sent off after four minutes for the Dons.