With Bristol Rovers set to travel to Vale Park to face Port Vale in the Emirates FA Cup Second Round, here are five players who have represented both sides over the years.
Port Vale sealed their place in the draw with a convincing 5–1 win over underdogs Maldon & Tiptree. The spirited Isthmian League North side were the lowest-ranked team left in the competition - sitting 99 places below the Valiants, currently bottom of SkyBet League One.
Rovers, meanwhile, edged a dramatic 2–1 victory away to SkyBet League Two counterparts Bromley. Late strikes from Fabrizio Cavegn and Joel Cotterill flipped the game in favour of the Gas, before Jemiah Umolu’sreply gave the hosts hope. A stoppage-time effort looked to have levelled the tie, but the flag went up for offside, confirming Rovers’ place in Round Two.
With both teams looking to build momentum after success in the Vertu Trophy Round Of 32 in midweek, here are five players who have played for both teams.
Ryan Loft
Loft joined Bristol Rovers in January 2022 from Scunthorpe United, making an immediate impact as part of the side that won promotion back to League One that season.
A strong, physical forward, he featured regularly and provided fans with plenty of memorable moments.
Supporters will remember his stoppage-time “Loft-ed” chip against Vale, which gave Rovers the chance to take automatic promotion to the final day. They went on to do just that - beating Loft’s former club Scunthorpe United 7–0 in one of the most dramatic finishes in recent memory.
In September 2023, Loft made the move to Vale Park - the very ground where he had scored that unforgettable goal a year earlier. He opened his account on debut in a 2–1 win over Northampton Town and quickly became a regular in the Vale attack, adding strength and presence up front before injury halted his momentum midway through the season.
Ellis Harrison
A product of the Rovers academy and now back in the blue-and-white quarters once again, Harrison made his senior debut in 2011 and has played more than 200 games for the club in all competitions.
The Welshman will be best remembered for his equaliser in the Conference Play-Off Final against Grimsby Town in 2015, which Rovers went on to win on penalties. He was also part of the side that earned back-to-back promotions, helping Rovers climb from Sky Bet League Two to Sky Bet League One under Darrell Clarke, who is now back in the dugout at The Mem.
After leaving Rovers in 2018, Harrison went on to play for Ipswich Town and Portsmouth before joining Vale in 2022. He hit the ground running at Vale Park, finishing as their top scorer that season while playing once again under Clarke.
His overhead kick against Rovers in April 2023 was voted Vale’s Goal of the Season, and when he left the club on deadline day, it was Loft who came in to fill his place. Now, Harrison finds himself back where it all began, playing once again for Rovers and for the manager who helped shape his career.
Chris Lines
Another hero of Rovers’ 2015 play-off final win, Lines scored the first penalty of the shootout against Grimsby, setting the tone for promotion back to the Football League.
Born in Bristol and a lifelong Rovers fan, Lines came through the club’s academy and made his senior debut in 2006. Over the next five years, he established himself as one of the most technically gifted midfielders to wear the quarters, playing a key part in Rovers’ promotion to League One in 2007 under Paul Trollope.
After more than 150 appearances in his first spell, he left for Sheffield Wednesday in 2011, helping them win promotion to the Championship before later featuring for MK Dons and Port Vale.
It was at Vale Park where Lines rediscovered his rhythm, becoming a creative spark in the midfield and an important part of their League One side between 2013 and 2015. That form earned him a loan move back to Rovers, and soon after, a permanent return to his boyhood club.
In his second spell, Lines played a huge role in Rovers’ rise under Clarke, winning back-to-back promotions and cementing his place as one of the club’s modern icons.
Across three spells, he made more than 350 appearances for Rovers. Few players have represented the club’s spirit quite like him, whose journey through both The Mem and Vale Park has captured a career full of loyalty and quality.
Cristian Montaño
Born in Colombia and raised in London, Montaño is one of only two South American players to have played for Bristol Rovers in the Football League era, alongside Brazilian winger Alefe Santos.
He signed for Rovers in 2015 after leaving Oldham Athletic and quickly made an impression with his pace and skill on the left side. Montaño could play almost anywhere down that flank as a winger, forward or left back, and his versatility made him a real asset to Clarke’s team.
He scored seven goals in 47 games, including a memorable brace against Hartlepool United in a 3–0 win at The Mem, and often linked up well with Harrison and Lines.
After two seasons with Rovers, Montaño joined Vale in 2017, where he became a favourite among fans. Known simply as Monty, he made over 130 appearances and scored 18 goals, impressing with his energy and willingness to adapt wherever the team needed him.
Now 33, he is still going strong in the Scottish Premiership with Livingston, continuing to show the same work rate and flair that made him stand out at both the Mem and Vale Park.
Billy Beats
We finish with a real throwback. Long before the days of packed terraces, televised highlights, and just before Thatcher's Cider was first brewed, Beats was leading the line for both Rovers and Burslem Port Vale in the early 1900s.
Born in Wolverhampton in 1871, Beats began his career with Vale in 1891 and quickly made a name for himself as a strong and reliable centre forward. His goals earned him a move to Wolves, where his form was rewarded with two England caps in 1901 and 1902.
He joined Rovers in 1903 and became one of the standout players of the club’s early years, helping the Gas win their only Southern League title in 1904/05 and scoring freely throughout his three seasons at Eastville.
In 1906, Beats returned to Vale after more than 11 years away, setting a club record for the longest gap between appearances. That record stood until 2019, showing how lasting his mark was on the club’s history. He finished the 1906/07 season as Vale’s top scorer before later joining Reading, where he stayed involved in the game as a coach.
