In a very quick 'reverse fixture' Bristol Rovers entertain Walsall after their short trip up the M5 last weekend.

Paul Trollope will have been pleased with several aspects of his team's display, the all important clean sheet (albeit courtesy of a late header that hit the bar) and secondly a dominant display.

What the Rovers boss would have been less happy to witness was his team's failure to convert that domination into goals.

For the opposition Walsall manager Chris Hutchings is considering rotating his team after admitting they were tired following the stalemate. It was his teams' second goalless draw in seven days at the Banks' Stadium on Saturday.

The hosts struggled to create for much of the game, with Hutchings putting their low-key performance down to fatigue.

Despite a thin squad, the manager may have to start resting some of his stars. He said: "We might have to look at that now. We had a few tired legs out there, we've put a lot of effort into the last few games and we showed we were a little leg weary.

"We were tired from the efforts on Tuesday against Charlton and you have to take everything into consideration. One or two players are very young and all in all we haven't got beaten and we've gone three unbeaten. We'll assess it and see how it goes. Everyone who is fit will be in my thoughts so everyone will have to wait and see."

Sam Parkin replaced the suspended Troy Deeney but fed on scraps with Darren Byfield also struggling to make an impact.

The Saddlers created the best chance of the game when Clayton McDonald's injury time header struck the bar. Hutchings admits, had the defender scored, it would have been harsh on the visitors.

He said: "It probably would have been, yes. It would have been a great time to score but a draw was probably a fair result. It was a great chance and we felt he should have scored.

"It was a very tough match and the pitch made it difficult for both sides. They both tried to get it down and play which caused some mistakes and it was a very itty-bitty game."

Hutchings praised his defence, who kept their second clean sheet in three games, after they refused to buckle when Rovers pressed in the second half: "It was a clean sheet and that's what you have to draw on.

"Clayton McDonald and Jamie Vincent did very well at the centre of defence again. Jamie is a very calming influence and good organiser.

"The others have benefited from him because you have an 18-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old in the back four and they need that bit of help and experience, Jamie has that in abundance.

"Darryl Westlake was steady, he tired and we expect and demand a lot from him. He's got to work hard to maintain the levels he's set so far, but he's a good kid."

In total Rovers and Walsall have met 93 times, with the Gas having won 38 games, the Saddlers 34 and just 21 draws. So, lots of games and a very close record, with Rovers just shading it.

During that time there have been some remarkable sequences. For example between 27th March 1965 and 29th October 1973, Rovers paid 14 visits to Fellows Park and won just once!

That rare win occurred when Stuart Taylor and Ray Graydon (who went on to manage both teams) goals led to a 2-1 scoreline on 24th April 1971.

During that same spell Rovers suffered an amazing reverse when they were leading 3-1 with 15 minutes to go, on 19th March 1973. A bomb scare caused the game to be halted. Then in the remaining 15 minutes Walsall scored 3 times to win the game 4-3!

Rovers' longest unbeaten streak was at Eastville between 4th September 1948 and 2nd November 1963, a total of 7 games with 4 Rovers wins and 3 draws. The game that broke that sequence was on16th March 1965.

Walsall won 1-0 and the Evening Post report of the goal revealed that: "Harassed by lanky Alan Clarke, Rovers keeper Bernard Hall lost possession after being lured yards from his goal. The ball rolled to Jimmy McMorran who chipped it back into an empty net from 25 yards".

Rovers gained their revenge just over 6 months later. Manager Bert Tann had complained that the team weren't taking their chances, but in this game they made 4 and scored 3.

Walsall winger Colin Taylor had Doug Hillard on the rack for most of the game but stand-in Centre Forward Trevor Meath was wasteful with the three chances that came his way.

Bobby Jones in the 35th and 77th minutes and Harold Jarman with an 85th minute header were Rovers' scorers on the day to give the Gas a 3-0 victory.

The Saddlers are struggling in the middle part of the season, they picked up a morale boosting point against high-flying Charlton but their last victory came before the big freeze - a win at Yeovil on December 1.

Defender Jamie Vincent is an experienced pro when it comes to doing the unexpected. But playing at the heart of the defence and guiding younger players....no problem he says!
The 34-year-old former Derby full back is enjoying his new found responsibility, after he stepped into the fold left by regular Manny Smith, who is injured.

Vincent said: "I'm enjoying it - the gaffer's asked me to fill in with Manny Smith out injured. We're trying to work as a team at the back and try to give the other lads the chance to win the games for us."

Vincent is also aware of the threat posed by Rovers' strike pairing when the two teams resume their battle from Saturday.

He added: "They complement each other quite well. Kuffour looks to come in deep and looks to spin in behind, Williams feeds off that. They work well together. They're a handful, but we kept them to a clean sheet so hopefully we can do that again on Tuesday."

The Saddlers have a sketchy away record, much like Rovers, without a win in eight games. On the bright side for the Midlanders, Troy Deeney will return for the clash after serving his suspension for the red card against Charlton last week.

However, Steve Jones is still out with a groin problem, as well as Rhys Weston and skipper Mark Hughes who are also on the sidelines.

Most Gasheads would assume that this should be a shoo in for 3 points, especially after the game on Saturday. However Paul Trollope would probably have only one word to say to that, Wycombe.

Written by Gerry Prewett.