Bristol Rovers is pleased to confirm the signing of Tommy Leigh on a season-long loan from Sky Bet League One side Bradford City.
The midfielder returns to the Gas after spending the second half of the 2025/26 campaign on loan at the Club, where he scored four goals and registered two assists in 14 appearances.
The 26-year-old quickly became a fans' favourite after scoring two late goals in a comeback victory over Crewe Alexandra to lift the roof of The Memorial Stadium, also netting in wins over Barrow and Shrewsbury Town.
Leigh now returns to the Pirates until the end of the 2026/27 season and is Rovers' fourth summer addition.
“It’s unbelievable to be back at the Club," he said. "When I first came, it was just brilliant and seeing all the fans wanted me back, it was the right choice for me to come back. It was magnificent to have a connection with the fans. It helps when you score goals, and the fans have been outstanding since I’ve been there. I can’t thank them enough.
"From a personal point of view, probably Crewe at home was my favourite moment from last season. That was magnificent to come on, score two goals and win the game 2-1. I think that’s what really got us going.
"I can’t wait to play games, hopefully win games and see what can happen this season. We’ve got a good team, I think we have got a good squad, so I can’t wait to get going and start the season. I’ve enjoyed the time off, but I want to get back to playing football now. You miss it a bit, and after a couple of weeks off, you start to miss it even more. I want to get back into it now."
Manager Steve Evans said: "It was something we worked really, really hard on since the Notts County game. I must acknowledge the support of our Chairman in his help making this happen. Tommy is a very gifted footballer and is a maverick. He does special things on a football pitch and is loved by our supporters.
"They will be buzzing with the news; Tommy wins football matches. The Gasheads have got their own song for him, and I am sure they will be singing it all the way through the season. He is a gifted boy, he’s a really good professional, he works so hard, and we want to give him a full pre-season program to get him ready to go.”
Born in 2000, Leigh started at Portsmouth's academy and had spells at non-league outfits Horndean, Baffins Milton Rovers, and Bognor Regis Town before joining the then Sky Bet League One side Accrington Stanley in July 2021.
He made his Football League debut on August 14 2021, coming off the bench against Cambridge United and made 28 appearances across all competitions in his first term at the Reds, scoring six goals and registering three assists.
Leigh was named Accrington's Player of the Season the following campaign after scoring seven goals and providing two assists in 39 games in the third tier. The midfielder spent three seasons with Accrington and played 120 times across all competitions, scoring 28 goals and registering 11 assists.
Leigh moved to Milton Keynes Dons ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, playing 14 times and scoring once before moving to Bradford City for the second half of the season, helping the Bantams gain promotion to Sky Bet League One with a third-place finish.
The 26-year-old played 16 times and scored once for Bradford in the 2025/26 campaign before moving on loan to the Gas in the January transfer window.
Everyone at Bristol Rovers would like to warmly welcome Tommy back to the Club and wish him every success in his loan spell with the Pirates.
