For current information on this topic, see Bristol Rovers F.C. season 2007-08

Bristol Rovers
Full name	Bristol Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Pirates, The Gas
Founded	1883 (as Black Arabs)
Ground	Memorial Stadium Horfield Bristol (Capacity 11,916)
Chairman	Ron Craig
First-Team Coach	Paul Trollope
League	League One
2007-08	League One, 16th
Home colours 　 Away colours

Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football team, based in Bristol. The 2007-08 season covers the period from 2007-07-01 to 2008-06-30. Football club names are a part of the sport 's culture reflecting century-old traditions This is a of lists of the use of Nicknames in football (soccer. The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of The Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, dedicated to the memory Horfield is a Suburb of the City of Bristol, in southwest England. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London The following is a list of Association football stadia. They are ordered by their capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators that the Paul Jonathan Trollope (born June 3 1972) is an English born Welsh international football player and coach Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Coca-Cola Football League 1 for sponsorship reasons is the second-highest division of The Football England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London They currently play in Coca-Cola League One, after defeating Shrewsbury Town 3-1 in the League Two Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium on May 26, 2007. Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Coca-Cola Football League 1 for sponsorship reasons is the second-highest division of The Football Shrewsbury Town Football Club are an English football club currently playing in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Coca-Cola Football League 2 for Sponsorship reasons is the third-highest division of A playoff or final in Sports is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion or a similar accolade Wembley Stadium is a Stadium in Wembley, located in the London Borough of Brent in London, England. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[1]

The club was founded in 1883 as Black Arabs F. C. , and changed its name to Eastville Rovers in 1884. The name changed again briefly in 1897 to Bristol Eastville Rovers, before finally changing to Bristol Rovers in 1898. ^[2]

The club's official nickname is The Pirates, reflecting the maritime history of Bristol. The local nickname of the club is The Gas, from the gasworks next to Eastville Stadium, their former home. Eastville Stadium was a Stadium in Eastville, a northern suburb of the English city of Bristol. Their main rivals are Bristol City, and according to a survey conducted in December 2003, Cardiff City and Swindon Town are considered the second and third biggest rivals. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol England, (the other being arch rivals Bristol Rovers) Cardiff City Football Club (Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd is a football team based in Cardiff, Wales. Swindon Town Football Club is an English football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, who currently play in League One. ^[3]

Rovers currently play at the Memorial Stadium, where they have played since August 1996. The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of The Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, dedicated to the memory The ground is due to be demolished in 2008 and rebuilt as an 18,500 capacity all-seater stadium. All-seater stadium is the terminology applied to those sports stadia in which every spectator has a seat ^[4] During the rebuilding process, the team will temporarily play their home games away from the city, at Whaddon Road in Cheltenham. Whaddon Road is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F Education ^[5][6]

On February 16th 2008, Bristol Rovers reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1958 with a goal by Ricky Lambert in a 1-0 win over Southampton. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Southampton Football Club is a professional English football team, nicknamed The Saints and based in the city of Southampton. This completed something of a clean sweep for the club in the rounds of the competition that year, with the club gaining victories over teams from all top five divisions in English Football; the Premiership, the Championship, Football League 1, Football League 2 and the Football Conference. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs The Football League Championship (often referred to as The Championship for short or the Coca-Cola Football League Championship for sponsorship reasons Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Coca-Cola Football League 1 for sponsorship reasons is the second-highest division of The Football Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Coca-Cola Football League 2 for Sponsorship reasons is the third-highest division of Organisation The Football Conference stands at the top of the National League System (NLS a comprehensive structure linking together over 50 different leagues under the

Contents 1 History 2 Colours and badge 3 Stadium 4 Supporter culture 4.1 Club song 5 Players 5.1 Current squad 5.2 Notable players 6 Management 6.1 Management team 6.2 Notable managers 7 Youth Academy 8 Women's Team 9 Achievements 10 Records 10.1 Scorelines: 10.2 Players: 10.3 Other: 11 References 12 External links

History

Main article: History of Bristol Rovers F.C.

The club was formed following a meeting at the Eastville Restaurant in Bristol in September 1883. The history of Bristol Rovers FC began over 120 years ago in 1883. They initially went by the name Black Arabs F. C. , the name coming from the Arabs rugby team and the predominantly black kits in which they played. ^[2] This name only lasted for the 1883-84 season, and in a bid to draw more fans from the local area the club was renamed Eastville Rovers in 1884. The Black Arabs season 1883-84 was the first played by the team that would later become Bristol Rovers.

The club played only friendly games until the 1887-88 season, when they took part in the Gloucestershire Cup for the first time. The Gloucesteshire Cup was a football competition held on 99 occasions from the 1887-88 season until 1996 They first joined a league in 1892, when they became a founder member of the Bristol and District League, which three years later was renamed the Western League. The Bristol and District League is a football competition based in Bristol, England. List of current clubs Premier Division Barnstaple Town | Bideford | Bishop Sutton | Bitton | In 1897 Eastville Rovers joined the Birmingham and District League, and for two seasons played in both this league and the Western League. ^[7] At the beginning of the 1897-98 season, the team turned professional and changed their name to Bristol Eastville Rovers,^[7] and on 17 February 1899 the name was officially changed to Bristol Rovers. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common ^[2]

In 1899 Bristol Rovers joined the newly-formed Southern League, where they remained until 1920. History Professional football (and Professional sport in general developed more slowly in Southern England than in the north. For the 1920-21 season, the Southern League teams were moved into the new Football League Third Division, which became the Football League Third Division South the following season. From the 1992-93 to the 2003-04 season, the Football League Third Division was the third-highest division of The Football League and the fourth-highest The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958 They remained in this division for over 30 years, before winning the league, and promotion in the 1952-53 season. The 1952-53 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in England. ^[2]

Promotion has been won by the team on three other occasions, in 1973-74 from the Third Division to the Second Division, again in 1989-90 as Division Three champions and also in 2006-07 to the Football League One. The team have been relegated four times in their history - in 1961-62, 1980-81, 1992-93 and most recently at the end of the 2000-01 season, when the team were relegated to the fourth level of league football for the first time in their history.

The only major cup competition won by Bristol Rovers is the 1972 Watney Cup, when Sheffield United were beaten in the final. A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of Tournament where the loser of each The Watney Mann Invitation Cup (normally referred to as simply the Watney Cup) was a short-lived English football tournament held in the early 1970s Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The club also won the Division Three (South) Cup in 1934-35, as well as winning or sharing the Gloucestershire Cup on 32 occasions. The Football League Third Division South Cup was a knockout competition open to teams competing in Division 3 (South of The Football League. The team have never played in European competition, the closest they came was when they missed out on reaching the international stage of the Anglo-Italian Cup in the 1992-93 season on a coin toss held over the phone with West Ham United. The Anglo-Italian Cup, sometimes referred to as the Anglo-Italian Tournament, was a football cup competition held between clubs in England and Italy } West Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in Upton Park, London Borough of Newham, East London, who have played ^[8] They have twice reached the final of the Football League Trophy, in 1989-90 and 2006-07, but finished runners-up on both occasions. Structure The Trophy is currently contested by just Football League One and Football League Two clubs and from season 2006-07 is played in a knock-out (

Colours and badge

Bristol Rovers are known for their distinctive blue and white quartered shirts, which they have worn for most of their history. The current kit consists of a Dark blue and white quartered shirt, white shorts and dark blue socks. The away kit is green with a black trim, and the third-choice strip is rumoured to be a white shirt with black trim. The goalkeepers shirt for the 2007-08 season will be gold.

The team began playing in black shirts with a yellow sash from their foundation in 1883 as Black Arabs F. C. until 1885, by which time they were called Eastville Rovers. For the next fourteen years, until 1899, the team wore blue and white hooped shirts. These were replaced by black and white striped shirts until 1919. ^[8]

1883-85	1885-99	1899-1919	1920-30	1930-31
1931-62, 1973-96, 2003-06	1962-63	1963-66	1966-69	1969-73
1996-97	1997-2003, 2007-2008	2006-07

When Rovers were admitted to The Football League in 1920 they wore white shirts with blue shorts. The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs These remained the team colours until 1930, when the colours were reversed to blue shirts and white shorts for one season. ^[8] The blue and white quarters were first worn in 1931, when they were introduced to try and make the players look larger and more intimidating. ^[2] Rovers continued to wear the quarters for 31 years until they were replaced by blue pinstripes on a white background.

Over the next ten years, Rovers went on to wear blue and white stripes, all blue, and blue shirts with white shorts before returning to the blue and white quarters in 1973, which have remained the colours ever since. ^[8] During the 1996-97 season, Rovers wore an unpopular striped quartered design, prompting fans to refer to it as the Tesco bag shirts^[9] because of their similarity to the design used for the company's carrier bags. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain The change in design prompted the Trumpton Times fanzine to change its name to Wot, No Quarters?^[10]

The black and gold shirts were also used as the away kit for the 2002-03 season, the mark the 120th anniversary of the club. A fanzine (see also Zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre for the pleasure In 2007, the club reverted to a far lighter shade of blue, in recognition of their 1930's kits.

In 2005, Rovers ran an April Fools' joke on their official website, stating that the team's new away strip would be all pink. This article is about the informal holiday For other uses see April Fool. Although this was intended to be a joke, a number of fans petitioned the club to get the kit made for real, and also suggested that funds raised through the sale of the pink shirts should be donated to a breast cancer charity. Breast cancer is a Cancer that starts in the cells of the Breast in women and men ^[11] Although the pink shirts were never used in a competitive fixture, they were worn for a pre-season friendly against Plymouth Argyle in 2006. An exhibition game (also known as an exhibition match or simply exhibition, or a demonstration or demo event is a sporting event For details of the current season see Plymouth Argyle FC season 2008-09 Plymouth Argyle Football Club, commonly known as Argyle ^[12]

A pirate features on both the club badge and the badge of the supporters club,^[13] reflecting the club nickname of The Pirates.

Stadium

Dates	Ground
1883-1884	Purdown
1884-1891	Three Acres
1891-1892	Schoolmasters Cricket Ground
1892-1894	Durdham Down
1894-1897	Ridgeway
1897-1986	Eastville Stadium
1986-1996	Twerton Park
1996-present	The Memorial Stadium

Main articles: Memorial Stadium (Bristol), Twerton Park, and Eastville Stadium

Rovers play their home games at The Memorial Stadium in Horfield, a ground they share with Bristol Rugby Club. Durdham Down is an area of public open space in Bristol, England. Eastville Stadium was a Stadium in Eastville, a northern suburb of the English city of Bristol. Twerton Park is a multi-use Stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, England. The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of The Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, dedicated to the memory The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of The Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, dedicated to the memory Twerton Park is a multi-use Stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, England. Eastville Stadium was a Stadium in Eastville, a northern suburb of the English city of Bristol. Horfield is a Suburb of the City of Bristol, in southwest England. Bristol Rugby is a Guinness Premiership rugby club in Bristol, England. The team moved to The Mem, as it is known informally, at the beginning of the 1996-97 season, initially as tenants but purchased it two years later. ^[14]

When Bristol Rovers were known as Black Arabs F. C. in 1883, they played their home games at Purdown, Stapleton. Stapleton is an area in the north-eastern Suburbs of the City of Bristol, England. The following year they moved to Three Acres, the precise location of which is not known, but is believed to have been in the Ashley Down area of Bristol, where they remained for seven years. Ashley is one of thirty-five council wards in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom. This was followed by brief stays at the Schoolmasters Cricket Ground, Durdham Down and Ridgeway. Durdham Down is an area of public open space in Bristol, England.

For the majority of their history, Bristol Rovers have played their home games at Eastville Stadium, where they remained for a period of 89 years from 1897-1986. Eastville Stadium was a Stadium in Eastville, a northern suburb of the English city of Bristol. Financial problems led to the team being forced to leave Eastville, and they found a temporary home at Twerton Park, the home of Bath City. Bath City FC are a football club based in Bath, Somerset, currently playing in the Conference South. They stayed in Bath for 10 seasons, before returning to Bristol in 1996. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol.

Rovers have also played home games at Ashton Gate following a fire which destroyed one of stands at Eastville, and also for one match during the early days of the period spent in Bath. Ashton Gate is a suburb of Bristol, United Kingdom. A major attraction in the area is Ashton Gate stadium, the home of professional football team During World War II, some friendly matches were played in Kingswood, and in their early history some games were played at Parson Street, Bedminster^[2]

In January 2007 planning permission was granted for a new 18,500 capacity all-seater stadium to be built on the site of the Memorial Stadium. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Kingswood is a town in South Gloucestershire, England. It is on the eastern outskirts of the city of Bristol, on the A420 road as this main road leaves Bedminster is the name of both a council ward in Bristol, England, and an area of the city that falls mostly within that ward Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. See Development Control for an overall explanation of how control under the Town and Country Planning legislation is operated in the United Kingdom All-seater stadium is the terminology applied to those sports stadia in which every spectator has a seat ^[15] Building work was originally intended to begin late in 2007, but a number of delays set the project back until the summer of 2008. ^[16][17][18] Rovers will play their home games at Cheltenham Town's Whaddon Road when the work begins. Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League One, the third tier of English football Whaddon Road is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F ^[19]

Supporter culture

The team traditionally draws the majority of its support from north and east Bristol^[20] and South Gloucestershire. Structure The Trophy is currently contested by just Football League One and Football League Two clubs and from season 2006-07 is played in a knock-out ( The Millennium Stadium (Stadiwm y Mileniwm is the National stadium of Wales, located in the capital Cardiff. Cardiff ( 'kɑːdɪf) is the Capital and the largest city and county in Wales. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Geography The River Severn forms the north-western edge of the area with a wide coastal plain terminated by the Severn Escarpment. Many towns and villages in the surrounding area are also home to significant pockets of Rovers supporters. ^[8]

The nickname given to Bristol Rovers supporters is Gasheads. The Gas was originally coined as a derogatory term by the supporters of Bristol Rovers' rivals Bristol City and was in reference to the large gas works adjacent to the old Bristol Rovers stadium, in Eastville, Bristol which wafted the sometimes overpowering odour of town gas across the crowd. ^[8]

Gasheads was adopted as a name by a splinter group of Rovers supporters in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. The chant 'Proud to be a Gashead' spread to regular fans and a fanzine was produced called The Gashead.

The term 'Gasheads' is now universally accepted within the English media and football fraternity as referring to Bristol Rovers supporters. ^[21] After the club's relegation to Football League Two in 2001, the club designated the squad number 12 to the Gasheads to signify them as the club's 12th Man in recognition of their loyal support. Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Coca-Cola Football League 2 for Sponsorship reasons is the third-highest division of

In 2000 another splinter group of supporters came together. Known as The Blackthorn Buccaneers the aim of this group was to celebrate the maritime heritage of the city of Bristol, identifying with the Pirate on the clubs badge. The group celebrate their existence at most games by the waving of Pirate flags and wearing of Piratesque costumes. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering The group take their name from the originally named Blackthorn terrace on which they stand at The Memorial Stadium. Blackthorn redirects here for other uses see Blackthorn (disambiguation Prunus spinosa ( Blackthorn or Sloe A memorial is an object which serves as a memory of something usually a person (who has died or an event A modern stadium (plural stadiums or stadia in English is a place or venue for (mostly outdoor Sports Concerts or other events consisting Since forming, The Blackthorn Buccaneers have lobbied the club to make more commercial use of the Pirate as a logo.

In the British film Hot Fuzz Danny Butterman played by Nick Frost is seen wearing a Bristol Rovers shirt. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action Comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright and starring Simon Nicholas John Frost (born 28 March, 1972) is an award-winning English Actor, Comedian and movie script-writer He is best known ^[22]

Club song

The song which is synonymous with Rovers is "Goodnight, Irene", which was written by Leadbelly. " Goodnight Irene " or " Irene Goodnight," is a 20th century American folk standard. Huddie William Ledbetter, (January 1888 – December 6 1949 was an American folk and Blues Musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing ^[23] It is sung by fans in support of the team.

Opinions differ as to how this came about but it is thought to have become popular in the 1950s when a version of the song was in the British charts - the line "sometimes I have a great notion to jump in the river and drown" - seemed to be particularly apt when Rovers lost as the Bristol Frome flows alongside the old Eastville ground. The River Frome is a River in South Gloucestershire. It is not to be confused with other rivers in the south west of England with the same name ^[24]

Another theory is that it was sung at a fireworks display at the Stadium the night before a Home game against Plymouth Argyle in the fifties. For details of the current season see Plymouth Argyle FC season 2008-09 Plymouth Argyle Football Club, commonly known as Argyle During the game the following day, Rovers were winning quite comfortably and the few Argyle supporters present began to leave early prompting a chorus of "Goodnight Argyle" from the Rovers supporters - the tune stuck and "Irene" became the club song. ^[2]

Players

As at 6 June 2008.

Current squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Steve Phillips 2 DF Ryan Green 3 DF Joe Jacobson 5 DF Craig Hinton 6 DF Steve Elliott 7 MF Stuart Campbell 8 FW Andy Williams 9 FW Rickie Lambert 10 FW Richard Walker 13 GK Mike Green 14 MF David Pipe 15 DF Byron Anthony 16 DF Danny Coles 18 MF Chris Lines

No. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Steven John "Steve" Phillips (born 6 May 1978 in Bath, Somerset) is an English football goalkeeper In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Ryan Michael Green (born 20 October, 1980 in Cardiff, Glamorgan) is a Welsh footballer currently playing as a defender In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Joseph Mark "Joe" Jacobson (born 17 November 1986 in Cardiff, Glamorgan) is a Welsh footballer who currently In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Craig Hinton (born 26 November, 1977 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands) is an English professional footballer who can play In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Steven William "Steve" Elliott (born 29 October 1978 in Derby, Derbyshire) is an English professional football For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Stuart Pearson Campbell (born 9 December 1977) is an footballer who plays as a Midfielder. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Andrew David "Andy" Williams (born 14 August 1986 in Hereford, England) is an English footballer, currently Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Richard "Rickie" Lambert (born 16 February 1982 in the Fazakerley suburb of Liverpool, England is an English football Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Richard Martin Walker (born November 08, 1977 in Birmingham) is an English Professional footballer. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Michael John "Mike" Green is an English footballer who plays for Bristol Rovers in Football League 1. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. David Ronald Pipe (born November 5 1983 in Caerphilly, Wales) is a professional football player In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Byron Joseph Anthony (born 20 September 1984 in Newport) is a Welsh professional footballer currently playing for Bristol Rovers In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Daniel Richard "Danny" Coles (born 31 October 1981 in Bristol, England) is an English footballer who plays as For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Christopher John "Chris" Lines (born 30 November 1985 in Bristol) is an English professional footballer who plays for Position Player 19 FW Sean Rigg 20 MF Craig Disley 21 DF Tom Parrinello 24 DF Alex Kite 26 MF Lewis Haldane 27 FW Matt Groves 28 MF Adam Mahdi 29 FW Josh Klein-Davies 30 MF Charlie Reece 31 FW Charlie Clough 32 DF Aaron Lescott 33 GK Steve Book 34 FW James Fraser MF Jeff Hughes

The shirt number 12 is used by Gasheads to represent the fans as the 12th Man. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Sean Michael Rigg (born 1 October 1988 is an English footballer who can play on the left side of midfield or as a Striker. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Craig Disley (born 24 August 1981 in Worksop) is an English professional footballer, who plays in midfield for In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Tom (Tomaso Parrinello (born 1989-11-11) is an English football defender who currently plays as a defender for Bristol Rovers. In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Lewis Oliver Haldane (born 13 March, 1985 in Trowbridge) is a Welsh football Striker, who is currently on loan at Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Matt Groves (born 1988-12-11) is an English professional footballer, who plays as a Striker for Tiverton Town, where he is on For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Joshua David "Josh" Klein-Davies (born 6 July, 1989) is a Welsh professional football player who is at Bristol Rovers. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Charles "Charlie" Reece is an English professional footballer, who plays as a defender for Bristol Rovers. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Charlie David W Clough (born 4 September 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a Striker for Mangotsfield United, In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Aaron Anthony Lescott (born 2 December 1978 in Birmingham) is a professional footballer who currently plays as a defender for Bristol Rovers. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Steve Book (born 7 July 1969 in Bournemouth, Dorset) is a professional footballer and currently playing for Tiverton Town Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. For the American soccer player see Jeff Hughes (soccer. Jeff Hughes (born 29 May 1985) is a footballer ^[25]

Notable players

For a list of Bristol Rovers players who have made at least 100 league appearances, see: List of Bristol Rovers F.C. players

For a full list of all Bristol Rovers players to be capped at full international level, see: List of Bristol Rovers F.C. internationals

Years	Nat	Player	Achievement
1946-60	England	Jack Pitt	Played 466 league games and spent over 50 years at the club as a player, coach and groundsman. For a list of all Bristol Rovers players with articles on Wikipedia see:CategoryBristol Rovers F This is a list of all full international footballers to play for Bristol Rovers F The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Jack Pitt ( 1920-05-20 - 2004-08-17) also known as Jackie Pitt, is a former professional footballer who spent the majority of his career
1949-64	England	Geoff Bradford	Rovers' record goal scorer with 242 league goals from 462 appearances. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Geoffrey Reginald William Bradford ( 18 July 1927 - 30 December 1994) was an English professional footballer who spent The only player to be capped by England while at Bristol Rovers. A cap is an appearance for a select team such as a school county or international team in sports
1962-63	England	Esmond Million	Goalkeeper who was banned from football for life for accepting a bribe. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Esmond Million is a former goalkeeper for Bristol Rovers. Part of the betting syndicate that rocked English football in the early Sixties the Bristol Rovers goalkeeper was
1966-80	England	Stuart Taylor	More league appearances than any other Rovers player (546)
1971-77	England	Bruce Bannister	Became nationally known as Smash & Grab during the 1970s for their goalscoring ability. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Stuart Taylor (born April 18, 1947 in Bristol, England) is an English former footballer who spent his entire playing career The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Bruce Bannister (born 14 April, 1947 in Bradford) is a retired professional football player who played for Bradford City, Bristol
1973-77	England	Alan Warboys
1956-69	England	Ray Mabbutt	Father and son who played in 526 league games for the club between them. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Alan Warboys (born April 18, 1949 in Goldthorpe is an English footballer who played as a striker The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Gary was later capped 16 times for England.
1979-82	England	Gary Mabbutt
1981-85 1987-91 1996-99	England	Ian Holloway	Three spells at the club as a player and a manager. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Gary Mabbutt MBE (born 23 August 1961 in Bristol) is an English former professional football player The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963 in Kingswood, Bristol) is an English former professional football Midfielder Named the fans' Cult Hero in a BBC poll. [26]
1983	England	Alan Ball	Only World Cup winner to play for Rovers. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Alan James Ball Jr, MBE (12 May 1945 &ndash 25 April 2007 was an English professional footballer and football club manager The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football Ended his playing career at the club.
1984-90 1997-00	England	Gary Penrice	Two spells at the club as a player and assistant manager. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Gary Kenneth Penrice (born Bristol, March 23 1964) is a former professional footballer. Ended his playing career at the club.
1987-89	England	Nigel Martyn	Became the first million pound goalkeeper when he was sold to Crystal Palace. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Antony Nigel Martyn (born August 11, 1966 in St Austell) more commonly known as Nigel Martyn is a former English football Crystal Palace FC is an English football club based in South Norwood, London.
1992-00	England	Andy Tillson	Record signing, and former club captain. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Andy Tillson (born Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire June 30, 1966) is a football coach and former player who is currently
1997-99	Jamaica	Barry Hayles	Club record sale when he moved to Fulham for £2,100,000. The Jamaica national football team, or The Reggae Boyz, is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. Barrington Edward "Barry" Hayles (born 17 April 1972 in London) is an English born Jamaican football player currently Fulham Football Club is an English football team based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
2000-03	Latvia	Vitālijs Astafjevs	Most capped Bristol Rovers player - 131 caps for Latvia

Management

Management team

Job title	Name[27][28]
Director of football	Lennie Lawrence
First team coach	Paul Trollope
Head of youth football	Kevin Hodges
Physio	Phil Kite
Goalkeeping coach	Steve Book
Under-18s coach	Billy Clark

Notable managers

Main article: List of Bristol Rovers F.C. managers

Years	Manager	Achievement
1899-1920	Alfred Homer	Rovers' first and longest-serving manager. The Latvian national football team ( Izlase in Latvian) is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia Vitālijs Astafjevs (Виталий Астафьев (born April 3, 1971 in Riga) is a football Midfielder from Latvia "Director of Football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club most commonly used in Europe. Robin Michael "Lennie" Lawrence (born December 12 1947 in Brighton, England) is a British football manager Coach (baseball|Coach (basketball|Coach (ice hockeyIn Sports a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction instruction and training of the operations Paul Jonathan Trollope (born June 3 1972) is an English born Welsh international football player and coach Kevin Hodges (born 12 June 1960 in Bridport) is an English former professional footballer. An athletic trainer is a certified health care professional who practices in the field of athletic training Steve Book (born 7 July 1969 in Bournemouth, Dorset) is a professional footballer and currently playing for Tiverton Town Billy Clark (born 19 May 1967) is a former professional footballer and a current youth team coach with Bristol Rovers. This is a list of Bristol Rovers FC managers since the club appointed its first full-time manager in 1899 along with the number of competitive games managed winning percentage and titles Alfred Homer Jr (born in Birmingham, England) was an English professional football manager
1920-1921	Ben Hall	Rovers' first Football League manager. Ben Hall ( 1881-03-06 – 1963 was a football player manager and trainer who played as a centre half The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs
1930-1936	Albert Prince-Cox	Introduced the blue and white quartered shirts. Captain Albert Prince-Cox (born 1890-08-08, date of death not known was a football manager player and referee, boxer, boxing promoter Won the Division Three (South) Cup in 1934-35. The Football League Third Division South Cup was a knockout competition open to teams competing in Division 3 (South of The Football League.
1950-1968	Bert Tann	Rovers' longest serving post-war manager (18 years). Bert Tann ( 1914-05-04 – 1972-05-12) was a professional football manager who managed Bristol Rovers for 18 years from 1950 to 1968 Division 3 (South) champions 1952-53. The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958 The 1952-53 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in England.
1972-1977	Don Megson	Won the Watney Cup in 1972
1981	Ron Gingell	Shortest spell by anyone as Rovers' manager (1 game)
1981-1983 1985-1987	Bobby Gould	Two spells as manager in the 1980s
1987-1991	Gerry Francis	Football League Third Division champions 1989-90
2005-present	Paul Trollope	Football League Two playoff winners, 2006-2007. Donald Harry Megson (born 12 June 1936 in Sale Cheshire) was an English footballer and football manager. The Watney Mann Invitation Cup (normally referred to as simply the Watney Cup) was a short-lived English football tournament held in the early 1970s Ron Gingell (born February 1920 is a former professional footballer, football scout and manager Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould (born 12 June, 1946 in Coventry) is an English football manager and former player Gerald Charles James Francis (born Chiswick, 6 December 1951) is a football coach From the 1992-93 to the 2003-04 season, the Football League Third Division was the third-highest division of The Football League and the fourth-highest Paul Jonathan Trollope (born June 3 1972) is an English born Welsh international football player and coach Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Coca-Cola Football League 2 for Sponsorship reasons is the third-highest division of A playoff or final in Sports is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion or a similar accolade FA Cup 2007-08 quarter-finalists.

Youth Academy

The Bristol Rovers centre of excellence is associated with the Bristol Academy of Sport, located at Filton College, which offers a college education along with football coaching. The Bristol Academy of Sport is based at Filton College to the north of Bristol, and provides sports coaching and college-level education to potential Filton College is a Further education college in Filton, Bristol, England. ^[29] Current squad members Sean Rigg, Tom Parrinello, Lewis Powell, James Palmer, Darren Mullings, Chris Lines and Mike Green all graduated from the Academy to earn a professional contract. Perhaps the most successful former member of the academy is Scott Sinclair, who was signed by Chelsea in 2005 for an initial fee of £200,000, with further payments to the club possible, depending on performance. Scott Andrew Sinclair (born March 25 1989 in Bath Somerset) is an English footballer, currently playing for FA Premier League team Chelsea ^[30]

Women's Team

Main article: Bristol Academy W.F.C.

The club boast a successful women's team, formed in 1998 as Bristol Rovers W. Bristol Academy Women's Football Club are an English Women's football club affiliated with Bristol Rovers F F. C. and now known as Bristol Academy W. F. C. . They play in the top flight of women's football in England, the FA Women's Premier League National Division, and have won ten trophies since their formation, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Women's Cup on five occasions. The FA Women's Premier League National Division is at the top of the English women's football league pyramid The Football Association Women’s Challenge Cup Competition, commonly referred to as the FA Women's Cup, is the top cup competition for women's football ^[31]

Achievements

• Southern Football League Division One: 1
  

1904-05

• Football League Third Division South: 1
  

1952-53

• Football League Third Division: 1
  

1989-90

• Football League Two play-offs: 1
  

2006-07

• Football League Third Division South Cup: 1
  

1934-35

• Watney Cup: 1
  

1972

• Football League Trophy, Runners-up : 2
  

1989-90, 2006-07

• Gloucestershire Cup: 32
  

1888-89, 1902-03, 1904-05, 1913-14, 1924-25, 1927-28, 1934-35, 1935-36, 1937-38, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1950-51, 1953-54, 1954-55, 1955-56, 1958-59, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95

Records

Scorelines:

• Biggest League Win:^[32]
  • 7-0 (v Brighton & Hove Albion, Division Three (South), 29 November 1952)
  • 7-0 (v Swansea City, Division Two, 2 October 1954)
  • 7-0 (v Shrewsbury Town, Division Three, 21 March 1964)
• Biggest Cup Win:
  • Competition proper: 6-0 (v Merthyr Tydfil, FA Cup Round 1, 14 November 1987)^[32]
  • Qualifying: 15-1 (v Weymouth, FA Cup Third Qualifying Round, 17 November 1900)^[32]
• Biggest League Defeat: 0 - 12 (v Luton Town, Division Three South, 13 April 1936)^[33]

Players:

• Most League Appearances: 546 - Stuart Taylor, 1966 - 1980^[34]
• Most Goals for club: 242 - Geoff Bradford, 1949 - 1964^[34]
• Most Goals in a season: 33 - Geoff Bradford, 1952-53^[34]
• Highest Transfer Fee Paid: £375,000 - Andy Tillson from Queens Park Rangers, November 1992^[34]
• Highest Transfer Fee Received: £2,100,000 - Barry Hayles to Fulham, November 1998^[34]

Other:

• Record Attendance: 38,472 (v Preston North End, FA Cup, 30 January 1960^[2]

References

External links

• Official site

• Bristol Rovers F. C. on BBC Sport: Club News - Recent results - Upcoming fixtures - Club stats
• Official Fan's Forum
• Fans photos on Flickr
• Supporters Club Website
• "Black Arab" on-line fanzine
• Vital Gas, A site run by the fans
• Alternative Forum for Rovers fans

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic