As Bristol Rovers prepare to travel to Accrington Stanley, here are five players who have played for both teams.
The Pirates have won two of their first three fixtures in November, beating Bromley in the Emirates FA Cup and Plymouth Argyle in the Vertu Trophy on either side of a narrow 1-0 loss to Gillingham in Sky Bet League Two.
The Pirates have lost their last five fixtures in the fourth tier, but will take confidence from their late victory over the Pilgrims on Tuesday night, with Kamil Conteh's late effort helping the Gas finish top of the Southern Group B in the Vertu Trophy.
Accrington are three points behind the Pirates, but are coming off the back of a 3-3 draw with promotion hopefuls Chesterfield in their last league outing. The Spireites came from two goals down to lead 3-2 in the contest before Charlie Caton levelled with 15 minutes left to play.
Read about five players who have played for both teams below...
Mark Hughes
Hughes made an impressive 246 appearances for Accrington across his two spells at the club, playing more for them than any other team in his career. The defender made five appearances for the Reds in Sky Bet League Two on loan from Bury in the 2012/13 campaign before returning to Stanley in 2016 after spells at Morecambe and Stevenage.
He was a constant figure in the team and played 210 times across six campaigns. His most notable term for the 'Owd Reds was the 2016/17 season, where he played every minute of Accrington's promotion-winning term out of Sky Bet League Two, where they won the title with 93 points. Hughes was named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year and remained a regular starter for them before moving to the Gas in 2021.
However, an Achilles injury limited him to only six appearances for the Pirates. Since turning to coaching, Hughes has assisted former Everton teammate Steven Schumacher at Plymouth Argyle, Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers.
Nick Anderton
Anderton started his career at Preston North End but never made an appearance for the Lilywhites and had loan moves at Chorley and Gateshead, before two spells at Barrow, either side of a temporary switch to Aldershot Town, before moving permanently to Barrow in 2016.
Across his separate spells at the Bluebirds, Anderton made 77 appearances before spending time at Blackpool, where he had a loan spell at Stanley, playing 25 times. Anderton then signed an 18-month contract with Carlisle United in January 2020 and was named the club captain of the Cumbrians ahead of the 2020/21 term.
After 54 games at Carlisle, Anderton signed for the Gas in May 2021. The left-back played 34 times in Sky Bet League Two, helping the Pirates to promotion out of the fourth tier with a third-place finish.
Aaron Chapman
Chapman is another player who had a short-term spell at Accrington before returning later in his career and picking up a trophy on the way. The goalkeeper earned a move to League Two outfit after impressing for nearby side Belper Town but only made one competitive appearance for the Spireites.
After playing 13 times on loan to Chester, Chapman made temporary switches to Stanley and Rovers in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, respectively, playing only five times for the Gas in a one-month loan spell where he kept two clean sheets.
The following season, he signed permanently for Stanley, but was mostly an unused substitute, playing 15 Sky Bet League Two games. However, the shot-stopper was a mainstay in the side the following campaign, appearing 45 times and keeping 18 clean sheets to help his side earn promotion from the fourth tier.
However, it would prove to be his last season at Accrington, with Chapman moving to Peterborough United in May 2018. The goalkeeper has played for several EFL and non-league teams since and now appears for National League North team King's Lynn.
Harry Pell
The Gas signed Pell after he departed Charlton Athletic at the end of the 2009/10 campaign but had to wait for his chance at Rovers. The midfielder was an unused substitute 10 times for the Gas before making his debut off the bench against Leyton Orient in November 2010.
Pell was sent out on loan to Hereford United in January 2011 and was recalled later in the campaign after a string of impressive performances, appearing nine times on his return to the Pirates to collect the club's Young Player of the Year award.
Pell signed permanently for Hereford and also represented Cambridge United, AFC Wimbledon, Grimsby Town, Eastleigh, Cheltenham Town, and Colchester United before signing for Accrington in May 2021. The midfielder played one full season at the Reds, making 37 league appearances before returning to Wimbledon and then Cheltenham. Pell is still at the Robins and is working his way back from an anterior cruciate ligament that ruled him out for the whole of the previous campaign.
Joe Lumley
Lumley spent a limited amount of time at Rovers and Stanley. The shot-stopper started his career at Queens Park Rangers and made 84 appearances for the Club between 2015 and 2021 but spent a large amount of his time out on loan.
The shot-stopper had eight temporary moves away, playing five times in Sky Bet League Two for Accrington in the 2014/15 season and 19 times for the Gas in Sky Bet League One during the 2015/16 term.
The goalkeeper departed QPR in 2021 for Middlesbrough and now represents Bristol City.
