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Bristol Rovers away preview for Saturday

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Bristol Rovers away preview for Saturday

Postby Sweden Stag » Thu Feb 10, 2022 5:42 pm

Following the very good 2-1 home victory against Colchester last Tuesday night, which moved the Stags up to fifth position in League Two, the Stags now face several trips on the road. And the first one of those is to the side the Stags played on the opening day of this season and beat in dramatic fashion thanks to a 96th minute penalty, namely Bristol Rovers. Before that game, the previewer wrote:

“A new season is soon underway. And the Stags start their new campaign with a home fixture against Bristol Rovers. But not for the first time as exactly on the day seventeen years ago, the Stags started their season with a home game against the Pirates, lost to a 2-0 scoreline. But what has happened to the players starting for the Stags at Field Mill in August 2004? Some details below.

Pilkington had another loan spell at Stags in 2010-11, last club Notts County
Artell now manager at Crewe, appointed after their 3-0 defeat at Stags in January 2017
Eaton one more Stags game, had to retire due to injuries
Baptiste still around, played for Bolton in both games against the Stags last season
McNiven managed Hyde against the Stags during the 2012-13 Conf winning campaign
Neil played a decade for Hamilton in Scotland, recently managed Preston
Corden played for Scunthorpe, Chester, Leyton Orient and No
Murray captained the Stags in 2013, later manager, now assistant boss at West Bromwich Albion
Williamson played for Watford in PL 2006-07 and for other clubs in the Championship, i.e. Burton Albion
Asamoah played for i.e. Carlisle, last club Guiseley while in the Conf during the 2016-17 season
Larkin finished at Gateshead and played in the playoff final against Cambridge in 2014

Out of the then featuring Bristol Rovers players, one had previous Stags experience. Ryan Williams, who played 43 games for Bristol Rovers and scored against the Stags in a 4-4 draw at Bristol on March 19, 2005 but was an unused sub during the 2004-05 opener.”

Forty years earlier, the sides also faced each other on an opening day. But on August 22, 1964,the sides met at Eastville with Bristol Rovers winning to a 4-1 scoreline. At that time, the Stags had yet to win at Bristol Rovers.

But the latest Stags win at Bristol was the most crucial one in recent history. A Colin Daniel goal on the final day of the 2013-14 season with ex-Stag (as a player) Darrell Clarke as Bristol Rovers boss sent the Pirates out of League Two, only for them to return the hard way and then another promotion, secured in the 90th minute at home to Dagenham & Redbridge on the final day of the 2015-16 season.

Two Bristol Rovers players on their fateful day in May 2014 has Stags connections. Chris Beardsley with then two previous Stags spells played 24 games for Bristol Rovers on loan from Preston then and was later to have a final Stags spell during the 2015-16 season in which he came on as sub in the latest clash between the sides at Bristol in March 2016.

One Bristol Rovers player featuring in May 2014 and March 2016 is now at the Stags. The name: Ollie Clarke. He came on as a late sub in March 2016 and started in 2014, recruited to the Stags in 2019 by then boss Graham Coughlan, who in fact came from Bristol Rovers. Over 200 Bristol Rovers league games were followed by a further 33 Stags fixtures (six as sub) last season.

In November 2006, the Stags lost at Bristol thanks to a late goal from ex-Stag Craig Disley, later at Grimsby

He appeared for the Stags in the 2-0 home victory against the Gasheads on April 6, 2002, scorers Adam Murray and Andy White in the second half, and scored twice in the 3-1 away victory on September 30, 2003. In fact, Bristol Rovers were routed big style then and were 2-0 down, crushed inside the first thirteen minutes. This was only the Stags' second-ever away victory against Bristol Rovers of all time.

The first one was achieved two years earlier, in the first-ever Bristol Rovers basement campaign. Then, the Stags gained promotion, and Bristol Rovers finished bottom-but-one. But the Bristol club was to be the last one finishing in that position without being relegated. Two up, two down was introduced the following campaign. On November 20, 2001, in a game which also saw Disley play for the Stags, Liam Lawrence (later at Bristol Rovers after a spell at Shrewsbury), hit the back of the net in the second half for the only goal of the game.

Before that game, eighteen trips for the Stags to different Bristol Rovers grounds, one of them Bath City's Twerton Park, where the Stags played twice during the BSP days, had seen the Stags draw on six occasions. One of those was at Eastville on October 15, 1966, a 4-4 draw which was to be the Stags' only away point at Bristol
Rovers during nine consecutive seasons at third FL level. 4-4 was also the result when the sides played in March 2005. The Stags' highest-ever away defeat against Bristol Rovers was a 6-0 rout at Eastville on February 19, 1966.

On the other hand, Bristol Rovers did not win at Mansfield during the same time.

The first Stags point at Bristol Rovers was achieved in the first-ever league game between the sides. This was an away one on September 19, 1931. A penalty, converted by England, was the Stags’ first-ever in league history and that was enough to secure a 1-1 draw, the Stags’ second away point, in front of 10770.

The teams also met in the Stags’ solitary season in the old 2nd division and the home game on April 24, 1978, was won 3-0. In fact, it was the last Mansfield win that season thanks to two goals from John Aston and one from Johnny Miller. That was also revenge for the 3-1 away defeat earlier that season, which was to be the first victory for Bristol Rovers then. Another memorable rout was the 5-0 on January 31, 1987, the Keith Cassells show that figured on the Swedish pools coupons. Only once have the teams met in the FA Cup. That was in the 3rd round in the 1957-58 season. The Stags were drawn away and were routed 5-0 on January 4, 1958. At that time, Bristol Rovers were a solid top-half team in the old second division finishing 10th while the Stags qualified for the then old third ending up as 6th in the final season of the old div 3 (N).

At Mansfield, Bristol Rovers have failed to score in almost half of their games there, among them six consecutive in the middle sixties, and almost half of the Bristol Rovers goals at One Call Stadium aka Field Mill have been netted in three games. Meanwhile, Bristol Rovers have failed to score in just five home fixtures against the Stags of all time, among them crucially in the above-mentioned 2014 game. Three of those were goal-less draws.

Following successive promotions, Bristol Rovers played five seasons in League One before relegation last campaign after a disastrous end which saw Paul Tisdale axed and replaced by Joy Barton. By the way, when Darrell Clarke (now at Port Vale) left in December 2018, he was replaced by Graham Coughlan. Their best placing during their recent League One spell was 10th under Darrell Clarke in 2016-17.

So far this season, Bristol Rovers have been inconsistent and have lost five times at headquarters, but have yet to figure in a goal-less League Two fixtures as all Bristol Rovers stalemates this term have ended up in score-draws. But Bristol Rovers lost at Oldham a few days ago, a crucial one for Oldham in their fight against dropping out of the EFL. Other teams which now have to watch out at the wrong end include Carlisle, Colchester and Walsall. Latter sacked their manager Matt Taylor after their defeat at Scunthorpe.

Among those who have played for both sides are ex-Stags manager Keith Curle (who in fact did play for both Bristol teams) and former Northampton boss Adrian Boothroyd, as well as noted above, Craig Disley. Matt Somner played just one league game for Bristol Rovers in 2005 before being recruited by the Stags three years later. Somner's latest clubs traced are Forest Green and Lewes. The same thing happened to Alex Jeannin and much-travelled Jefferson Louis (who was a Stag in early 2008) in the 2004-05 season. Much-travelled Chris Beardsley (nine clubs in the FL and the BSP) figured during the 2014-15 campaign in half of their League Two fixtures on loan from Preston. Scott Shearer kept goal for Bristol Rovers in both games against the Stags during the 2005-06 League Two campaign. But that was not the first time Shearer had kept goal against the Stags. He also did so for Rushden & Diamonds in a goal-less draw at Nene Park on February 26, 2005.

Played for both sides: Adam Barrett, Stewart Barrowclough, Chris Beardsley, Andy Beasley, Adrian Boothroyd, Junior Brown, Ollie Clarke, Keith Curle, Jimmy Daws, Craig Disley, Stephen Foster, Roger Frude, Chris Hackett, Guy Ipoua, Alex Jeannin, Scott Jones, Phil Kite, Reggie Lambe (seven games on loan for Bristol Rovers in 2010-11), Liam Lawrence, Jefferson Louis, Rollin Menayese, Jeffrey Monakana, Trevor Morgan, Ernest Parker, Noel Parkinson, Nicky Platnauer, Scott Shearer, Mark Smalley, Matt Somner, Tom Stanton, Jackie Storer, Ryan Sweeney, Reg Trotman, Ryan Williams, Jimmy Wilson.

Managed both sides: Graham Coughlan.

Home games: P 26, W 14, D 6, L 6, GF 42, GA 21
Away games: P 25, W 3, D 7, L 15, GF 24, GA 53

1931-32 0-3 1932-01-30 1-1 1931-09-19 Div 3 (S)
1937-38 1-0 1938-01-15 0-0 1937-09-04 Div 3 (S)
1938-39 1-3 1938-12-24 0-3 1938-08-27 Div 3 (S)
1946-47 3-1 1946-09-21 0-1 1947-01-25 Div 3 (S)
1963-64 2-0 1964-04-11 2-3 1963-11-30 Div 3 (old)
1964-65 3-0 1964-12-12 1-4 1964-08-22 Div 3 (old)
1965-66 2-0 1965-09-04 0-6 1966-02-19 Div 3 (old)
1966-67 2-0 1967-03-04 4-4 1966-10-15 Div 3 (old)
1967-68 3-0 1968-03-11 0-2 1967-09-09 Div 3 (old)
1968-69 0-0 1968-10-26 2-6 1969-03-25 Div 3 (old)
1969-70 1-1 1969-09-20 1-4 1970-01-10 Div 3 (old)
1970-71 4-1 1971-01-16 0-2 1970-10-20 Div 3 (old)
1971-72 0-0 1971-10-09 1-2 1972-03-11 Div 3 (old)
1977-78 3-0 1978-04-24 1-3 1977-10-04 Div 2 (old)
1986-87 5-0 1987-01-31 0-0 1986-09-13 Div 3 (old)
1987-88 1-0 1988-02-27 1-2 1987-10-03 Div 3 (old)
1988-89 2-1 1988-10-08 0-0 1989-02-18 Div 3 (old)
1989-90 0-1 1989-08-26 1-1 1990-01-13 Div 3 (old)
2001-02 2-0 2002-04-06 1-0 2001-11-20 Div 3
2003-04 0-0 2004-04-12 3-1 2003-09-30 Div 3
2004-05 0-2 2004-08-07 4-4 2005-03-19 League Two
2005-06 3-3 2005-12-28 0-2 2006-03-25 League Two
2006-07 0-1 2007-04-07 0-1 2006-11-04 League Two
2013-14 1-1 2013-10-12 1-0 2014-05-03 League Two
2015-16 1-2 2015-10-17 0-1 2016-03-12 League Two
2021-22 2-1 2021-08-07 (at Mansfield) League Two

FA Cup:

1957-58 0-5 1958-01-04 3rd round at Eastville

Expect a good test on Saturday. Come on Mansfield!
Stockholm, July 4, 2008, 15.00 GMT. Good news came, K.H. gone. March 1, 2012. Ground purchased.
Sweden Stag
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