Harrold and Gill miss out at Exeter
Exeter City
Bristol Rovers
John Ward’s injury ravaged squad take on Exeter City this afternoon in the opening match of their 2013/14 league campaign.
While Alefe Santos is fit, and has travelled down with the squad, Matt Harrold and Matt Gill miss out due to groin strains.
Physiotherapist Phil Kite explained that secondary injuries such as this often happen after a player has been out for a long time and we can only hope that both players are back and challenging for a first team spot in the near future.
Harrold’s absence means that Mitch Harding makes his first ever start in a Rovers shirt. To date he has made only a total of six substitute appearances.
As a result of these latest injuries, the manager is only able to name six substitutes this afternoon.
Exeter, meanwhile, include former Rovers players Danny Coles and Pat Baldwin in their starting lineup.
Rovers: Steve Mildenhall, Michael Smith, Tom Parkes, Mark McChrystal, Lee Brown, Ellis Harrison, John-Joe O’Toole, Ollie Norburn, Eliot Richards, David Clarkson, Mitch Harding.
Substitutes: Conor Gough ,Tom Lockyer, Shaquille Hunter, Alefe Santos, Pat Keary, Josh Southway
Exeter City: Artur Krysiak, Craig Woodman, Danny Coles, Pat Baldwin, Jordan Moore-Taylor, Liam Sercombe, Arron Davies, Scot Bennett, David Wheeler, Sam Parkin, John O’Flynn
Substitutes: Alan Gow, Tommy Doherty, Aaron Dawson, Jamie Reed, Jake Gosling, Jimmy Keohane, Christy Pym
Referee: Mark Heywood
