As Bristol Rovers prepare to face Notts County in their next Sky Bet League Two fixture at The Memorial Stadium this Saturday, read about five players who have played for both teams.
The Pirates are looking to end the month strongly after losing their last seven fixtures in Sky Bet League Two. The most recent defeat came against Cheltenham Town, with Jonathan Tomkinson scoring the only goal in a narrow 1-0 triumph for the Robins at the EV Charger Points Stadium.
The Gas have not played the Magpies in recent history, but are unbeaten in six of their last seven meetings across all competitions, winning two and drawing one of those fixtures that have taken place at The Mem. The Pirates' home victory against their upcoming opponents came in 2010, with Will Hoskins bagging a brace in a 2-1 win.
Notts currently sit fifth in the Sky Bet League Two table with 28 points, having recently been defeated 3-1 by Colchester United, ending a six-match unbeaten run in the fourth tier.
Before the Gas’ next fixture, take a look at these five players who have been on the books for both the Gas and the Magpies.
Marc Bola
The current Watford left-back Marc Bola joined Notts on loan in the 2016/17 season, making 13 appearances. He had a notable assist during their clash against Leyton Orient, finding Jon Stead to score a 90th-minute winner in a thrilling 3-2 victory.
He made the move to the Gas in the 2017-18 season, also on loan, making 18 appearances overall. He also provided an assist for the Gas in their 2017 away fixture against Northampton, helping Dom Telford net the Gas’ sixth goal of the match. At the end of his loan spell, Bola signed for Blackpool on a one-year contract.
Bola then had permanent spells at Middlesbrough and Samsunspor before moving to Watford before the start of the 2025/26 season and has played 13 times in the Sky Bet Championship this term.
Steve Mildenhall
Mildenhall played 513 games in all competitions for nine different teams between 1995 and 2017, and despite being a goalkeeper, has a goal to his name as well.
The shot-stopper started his career at Swindon Town before moving to Notts in 2001, where he played 86 times across three full seasons in the Second Division and once in Sky Bet League Two in the 2004/05 campaign. Mildenhall scored the only goal of his career for the Magpies against Mansfield Town in a League Cup tie, with his free-kick inside Nott's half flying over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Mildenhall had spells at Oldham Athletic, Grimsby Town, Yeovil Town and Southend United before earning a move to Sky Bet Championship team Millwall, playing 10 times for the Lions in the league.
He spent three seasons at the club but was sent out on loan in his final campaign. First at Scunthorpe United, Mildenhall then played 22 times for Rovers in Sky Bet League Two. The goalkeeper signed permanently for the Gas in the summer and had two promotions to his name in the next five campaigns.
Mildenhall played 29 times in the Conference Premier before replacing Will Puddy in the 121st minute of the play-off final against Grimsby Town ahead of a penalty shoot-out, with Rovers going on to win 5-3. Another 26 appearances followed the season after, with the Pirates gaining promotion to Sky Bet League One.
Mildenhall returned to Swindon upon his retirement from the game at the end of the 2016/17 season but did appear on the bench for the Robins in January 2022 for an Emirates FA Cup fixture following a goalkeeper shortage.
Charlie Colkett
Colkett's football career has taken him to three different countries. Starting at Chelsea's academy, he gained his first senior appearances on loan at Rovers alongside Jake Clarke-Salter in August 2016.
He played 15 times for the Gas and scored his first professional goal against Bradford City in a 1-1 draw. Colkett was recalled by Chelsea in January 2017 before being sent out to league rivals Swindon Town for the remainder of the campaign.
The midfielder then experienced football outside of England for the first time in the 2017/18 season. He played six times for Vitesse in the Eredivisie and three times in the Europa League on loan from the Blues.
His fourth and final loan spell away at Chelsea was at Shrewsbury, where he made one appearance before signing for Swedish team Östersunds FK in 2019. Colkett appeared 67 times for Östersunds, playing more for them than any other team in his career.
Short spells at Cheltenham Town and Crewe Alexandra followed, with Colkett playing three times on loan for Notts during his time at Railwaymen. He then moved to Gateshead, playing 18 times in the 2024/25 season and is now at Croydon Athletic.
Sam Slocombe
Goalkeeper Sam Slocombe, who now works as the first-team coach for the Magpies, has represented both clubs in recent memory. The shot-stopper signed for the Gas in the 2017/18 season, making 25 overall appearances for Rovers. He made his debut during the Gas’ 3-2 victory away at Bury, playing alongside Tom Lockyer and Ellis Harrison.
After being moved to Lincoln City on what was supposed to be a seven-day emergency loan deal, Slocombe joined County, who were in the National League. He helped the Magpies achieve promotion to Sky Bet League Two, playing 39 times in the 2022/23 season and started the playoff final win over Chesterfield.
Slocombe announced his departure from the club as a player in the 2024/25 season, and in June, he was appointed as a first-team coach under newly appointed Martin Paterson.
Danny Allsopp
The Australian striker made a total of 118 appearances for Notts, first moving there on loan in 1999. He netted one goal in three appearances before moving to the Gas in 2000 on loan.
Allsopp appeared six times for the Gas, most notably during a 3-1 victory against Swindon Town, before returning to his parent club, Manchester City, after his one-month loan spell.
He returned to the Magpies in 2000, this time for a three-year spell, making his remaining 115 appearances for the club and netting fifty goals across all competitions.
Allsopp helped Notts get to the second round of the League Cup in 2001, before playing the Citizens and suffering a 4-2 stoppage-time defeat.
Capped three times for Australia, Allsopp's career took him all over the world, playing for Al-Rayyan SC in Qatar, D.C. United in the United States and several teams in Australia.
