As Bristol Rovers prepare to travel to Walsall for their Sky Bet League Two clash on Saturday, it is time to look back at five players who have played for both clubs.
The Pirates have been in stellar form and are unbeaten in their previous seven outings in the fourth tier, with Darrell Clarke's men also winning five of their last six matches. Rovers beat Salford City last time out, with Ellis Harrison and Fabrizio Cavegn scoring in a comeback victory, with Luke Southwood also saving a late penalty from Luke Garbutt.
However, the Gas are up against the league leaders this weekend, with Walsall collecting seven victories from their first ten games. The Saddlers have also won five from their last six, beating Accrington Stanley 3-1 on the road in their previous match.
Before the upcoming fixture at Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium, take a look at these five players who played for both the Gas and the Saddlers.
Romaine Sawyers
Sawyers joined Walsall on loan from West Bromwich Albion in 2013, making four appearances off the bench in the 2012/13 season before joining the Saddlers permanently for the following campaign. He was a consistent figure in the team, playing 136 times and netting 16 goals across three Sky Bet League One seasons before leaving for Sky Bet Championship outfit Brentford.
He remained at the Bees for three terms before returning to West Brom, where he gained promotion and played in the Premier League with his boyhood club before having spells at Stoke City, Cardiff and Wimbledon. At the end of a short-term contract at the Dons in the 2024/25 campaign, where he scored once in four appearances, Sawyers switched to the Pirates for the remainder of the season and played 13 times in the third tier.
Ellis Harrison
Ellis Harrison will be looking to make a scoring return to Walsall on Saturday. The striker came through Rovers' Academy, making his debut for the Club back in 2011 against Southampton and scored his first goal for the Pirates in January 2013 away to Rotherham United.
The forward was an important part of the Gas' side under Darrell Clarke in their promotion season from the Conference Premier, netting 13 league goals in 35 appearances as Rovers finished one point off top of the league before striking the all-important equaliser in the playoff final against Grimsby Town, with the Gas going on to win on penalties.
Harrison scored seven goals on the Pirates' return to Sky Bet League Two, helping the Gas achieve back-to-back promotions before netting 20 goals across 81 fixtures in Sky Bet League One across the next two terms. The striker then had spells at Ipswich Town, Portsmouth, Fleetwood Town, Port Vale and Milton Keynes Dons before a loan spell at Walsall last season, scoring three goals in 12 matches.
After his contract expired at MK Dons at the end of the last campaign, he joined the Gas for a second spell in the summer and has scored four goals in 12 appearances across all competitions.
Alfie Chang
Chang is another current Rovers player to have appeared for Walsall on loan last term. The midfielder progressed through Birmingham City's academy and made his debut in August 2021, coming on as a substitute against Fulham in the Carabao Cup. He made 13 appearances in their 2022/23 Sky Bet Championship campaign, registering seven starts.
Chang sustained a serious knee injury in August 2023 and was sidelined for an extended period, returning to the pitch for Birmingham against Lincoln City in an Emirates FA Cup clash in January 2025. He then went on loan to Walsall for the remainder of the term, making eight appearances and scoring in the playoff semi-final versus Chesterfield. However, the Saddlers lost in the final to Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old moved to the Gas on loan from Birmingham on transfer Deadline Day and has two assists in four fixtures, including one on his debut in a 3-2 away win over Newport County.
Luke Leahy
Leahy started his career at Rugby Town and spent five seasons at Scottish side Falkirk before moving to Walsall, where he made 105 appearances in all competitions across two seasons.
He signed for the Gas from the Saddlers in July 2019 and played 85 times in all competitions for the Club across two seasons. He scored seven goals in 38 Sky Bet League One appearances for the Gas in the 2020/21 season. After leaving Rovers in the following summer, he spent two seasons at Shrewsbury Town before going to Wycombe Wanderers, where the 32-year-old still is now after playing 116 times for the Chairboys, with ten coming in Sky Bet League One this term.
Aaron Lescott
Birmingham-born Lescott was on Aston Villa’s books as a youngster and played, briefly, on loan for Lincoln City before signing for Sheffield Wednesday in October 2000. He was on the move again in November 2001, when he joined Stockport County.
It was from the Edgeley Park outfit that he first moved to Rovers, joining on loan in March 2004. He signed a permanent deal in August of that year, and his overall league record with Rovers is 207 league games and five goals. He scored his first goals for Rovers in his 174th game in a 5-0 win against one of his future clubs, Walsall, at the Bescot Stadium in March 2009. He played in the final of the EFL Trophy in Cardiff and was a substitute in the Play Off Final at Wembley, against Shrewsbury, at the end of the 2006/07 season.
Later in his career, he scored for Walsall against Rovers, at The Mem, in Dave Penney’s first game in charge in January 2011. He initially played for Cheltenham, on loan, before leaving The Mem permanently in July 2010 when he signed for Walsall. In March 2010. His goal against Rovers was the only one he scored for the Sadlers in 34 league appearances.
