As Bristol Rovers prepare to face Plymouth Argyle in the Vertu Trophy at The Memorial Stadium, read about five players who have played for both clubs.
The Gas have gained five points from their first two fixtures in the competition and have already qualified for the knockout stages. The Pirates came back from 3-0 down to draw 4-4 with Tottenham Hotspur U21s at The Mem before winning on penalties to gain two points.
Rovers then beat Cheltenham Town 1-0 on the road and sit one point behind Argle, who have won both their opening fixtures. The Pilgrims beat the Robins 2-0 before an emphatic 6-2 victory over Spurs.
Before the fixture at The Mem, take a look at these five players who have played for the Gas and Plymouth.
Gary Sawyer
Sawyer came through Plymouth's academy and had loan spells at Weymouth and Exeter City before becoming a regular in the Pilgrims' Championship team between 2006 and 2010. He then joined Bristol City on loan in March 20210 until the end of the campaign before joining rivals Rovers in June 2010, making 69 appearances in all competitions across two seasons before transferring to Leyton Orient.
The defender spent three campaigns at the O's before returning to boyhood club Plymouth. His first term back at Argle ended in Sky Bet League Two playoff final heartbreak, with Sawyer playing the full match at Wembley in their defeat to Wimbledon. Nevertheless, Plymouth bounced back the following season and gained promotion to Sky Bet League One the following campaign through a second-place finish, only ending the term behind league winners Portsmouth on goal difference.
Sawyer was named club captain in 2018 and was an ever present in Plymouth's two season stay in the third tier before playing a further 25 games in their 2019/20 campaign, where his team returned to Sky Bet League One at the first time of asking. Overall, he played 298 times for Plymouth in all competitions, scoring six goals.
Scott Sinclair
Sinclair came through Rovers' Academy and became the Pirates' second youngest ever debutant when he came off the bench against Orient aged just 15 years and 277 days in December 2004. He played only twice for the Gas before moving to Premier League giants Chelsea.
His first-ever loan spell away was at Plymouth, and his first-ever senior goal followed with a superb run and finish in an FA Cup victory over Barnet. He played 18 times for Ian Holloway's Argle and scored four goals.
Sinclair struggled to make it in Chelsea's first team, only playing 14 times and being sent out on loan six times before making a permanent move to Swansea City. He kick-started his career at the Swans, scoring 19 goals in his first Championship season with them and bagging a hat-trick in the playoff final to help them into the Premier League for the first time.
The winger remained at Swansea for their debut campaign in the topflight before switching to Manchester City in 2012 but only played 19 times and was twice moved out on loan. In 2016, Sinclair went to Celtic, where he spent three full seasons and won three Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. After 167 games for Celtic, playing more for them than any other side in his career, Sinclair departed for Preston North End, where he remained for three seasons before returning to boyhood club Rovers.
Across his two spells at the Gas, Sinclair played 115 times, scoring 13 goals and was named Club captain before the start of the 2024/25 campaign.
Sinclair has made well over 600 professional appearances in his career, playing in the Premier League, Champions League and the 2012 Summer Olympics for Great Britain.
Josh Grant
Grant started his career at Chelsea, going on loan to Yeovil Town and then Plymouth, where he made 22 appearances for the Pilgrims in the 2019/20 Sky Bet League Two season.
Departing the Blues at the end of his contract in June 2020, his first permanent move away from his boyhood club was to Rovers, where he signed a three-year contract. The midfielder made 32 league appearances for the Gas in his first season and then made a further 21 the campaign after, helping the Pirates gain promotion to Sky Bet League Two.
However, injury stopped him from featuring almost at all the following campaign, with Grant making only one appearance. He then played 29 times in the 2023/24 term, which turned out to be his last at Rovers. Overall, he played 102 times for the Gas in all competitions, featuring for them more than any other side in his career. Grant has played in the National League in the last two season, playing for Wealdstone and Carlisle United.
Matt Butcher
Butcher came through Bournemouth's academy but only made two competitive appearances for the Cherries and was sent out on loan to Gosport Borough, Poole Town, Woking, Yeovil Town, and St Johnstone before completing a permanent move away to Accrington Stanley in August 2020. He played 84 times across two seasons at Stanley before leaving to join Plymouth in 2022.
The midfielder had an impressive first campaign at the Pilgrims, playing 40 of Plymouth's 46 Sky Bet League One games to help his side to the title, racking up 101 points in the process. Butcher played 15 times in the Sky Bet Championship the following campaign before switching to Wycombe Wanderers in 2023. The 28-year-old had played 43 times for the Chairboys and spent the second half of last season on loan at Rovers, appearing 18 times and only failing to feature against his parent club.
Butcher is on loan at Salford City and scored his first goal for the Ammies against Rovers at The Mem, but the Gas ultimately won 2-1.
Nathan Blissett
Blissett has a promotion on his record with Rovers and Plymouth. On loan from Kidderminster Harriers after temporary spells away at Cambridge United and Hednesford Town, the forward joined the Pirates in the Conference Premier in November before signing permanently in January 2015.
He made 22 appearances for the Gas to help them gain promotion to Sky Bet League Two, featuring in both legs in the semi-final against Forest Green Rovers and played 40 minutes in the final versus Grimsby Town at Wembley.
Blissett played twice in the fourth tier the following campaign, going on loan to Tranmere Rovers and Lincoln City before permanently moving to Torquay United in the same term. He stayed at the Gulls until moving to Plymouth in January 2016, where he made nine appearances for Argle and helped them gain promotion to Sky Bet League One. The forward played 25 times for Plymouth, also representing Macclesfield Town, Solihull Moors, Maidenhead United, AFC Telford United, Stafford Rangers, Bromsgrove Sporting and Hednesford Town.
