Bristol Rovers dominated Brentford at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon but failed to make their chances count.

The game finished 0-0 but the home side had plenty of opportunities to take all three points

Paul Trollope was forced to make three changes to his side because of injuries, and tha manager was dealt another blow when Jo Kuffour was forced off just before half time after taking a blow to the ribs.

Central defender Steve Elliott missed out as he is suffering medial collateral damage to his knee ligaments and may well miss the rest of the season.

Byron Anthony and Dominic Blizzard were also ruled out of the game, Byron with a thigh strain and Dominic with a hamstring strain.

Carl Regan came in in place of Anthony, with Jeff Hughes slotting in a left back and Daniel Jones taking a central defenders role.

Two youngsters Ben Swallow and Charlie Reece joined Chris Lines and Stuart Campbell in midfield. And Eliot Richards made his home debut coming on as a substitute in the second half.

Rovers started well on a bright, sunny afternoon in Bristol. The young midfielders Reece and Swallow were keen to make a mark on the game, and Swallow made an impact from the start, putting some great balls into the box.

Andy Williams poked one of Swallows' crosses wide just after 10 minutes, before Kuffour got on the end of another good ball in, only to see his shot blocked.

Williams then had another chance to open the scoring from inside the penalty box, but the ball got caught up under his feet, and he scuffed his shot wide.

Down the other end Lewis Grabban tried to get on the score sheet for the Bees, but Mikkel Andersen got down low and smothered the ball.

Charlie Reece, was looked impressive down the right hand side, then had a shot from just outside the box, but it flew wide of the upright.

Williams then put in a pass to Jo Kuffour after skinning his marker on the right hand side of the box, but the ball was too far forward, and Kuffour could not quite get on the end of it.

It was Brentford who came closest to scoring the opening period, against the run of play, when they were twice denied by the woodwork. Charlie MacDonald's volley was denied by the post, before Leon Legge hit the bar with a header.

Rovers were then forced to make a change when Jo Kuffour took a knock to the ribs. He tried to stay on after brief treatment from Phil Kite, but was unable to move freely.

He was replaced by Darryl Duffy as Rovers continued to push for the opening goal.

Duffy looked to make an instant impact when he put Williams through on goal, but his shot was easily saved by Wojciech Szczesny in the Brentford goal.

Williams and Duffy combined again, this time to set up Chris Lines, but his side footed shot flew over the bar.

Rovers came out for the second half still looking to break the deadlock, and the first chance of the half fell to Duffy who turned and shot, only to see his effort blocked on the line. The home side then had another shot blocked on the line thanks to the head of Sam Wood.

Williams had another chance to take the lead, but Szczesny got down well to save his attempt.

Rovers continued to dominate the game, and play some good football across the midfield, but the final product appeared to be lacking, as great chances continued to come and go.

MacDonald then tried his luck for the visitors. He made a run into Rovers' box, but his powerful shot was well saved by Andersen - who was having a fairly quiet afternoon.

Then 18-year-old striker Eliot Richard was introduced for his home debut, replacing Charlie Reece who had worked hard and impressed the home crowd.

The youngster almost made an instant name for himself setting up the first goal of the game. His movement in the box and pinpoint pass found Lines, who produced a fantastic save from the keeper.

Daniel Jones reacted well to get in the way of a shot from Charlie MacDonald at the other end, before a shot from Swallow took a wicked deflection and almost found the back of the net.

It turned out to be 'one of those games' for Rovers, who did a lot of things right, but were unable to find the back of the net.

Team: Mikkel Andersen, Stuart Campbell, Danny Coles, Carl Regan Daniel Jones, Ben Swallow, Chris Lines, Charlie Reece (Eliot Richards), Jeff Hughes, Andy Williams, Jo Kuffour (Darryl Duffy).

Substitutes: Mark Wright, Charlie Clough, Mark Cooper, Ollie Clarke, Rhys Evans

Brentford: Wojciech Szczesny, Kevin O'Connor, Karleigh Osbourne, Danny Foster, Leon Legge, Myles Weston (Lionel Ainsworth), Sam Wood, Toumani Diagiuraga, Carl Cort, Charlie MacDonald, Lewis Grabban.

Substitutes: Nikki Bull, Sam Saunders, David Hunt, Ben Strevens, Ryan Blake.

Referee: Mr Paul Tierney.