For Alfie Kilgour, it all just added up.
Raised and developed in the Bristol Rovers Academy, before making 119 competitive appearances for the Gas, the centre-back departed in January 2023 for Mansfield Town.
Now, in Kilgour’s own words, he is ‘back home’.
Signing a two-year deal at The Memorial Stadium, the 27-year-old’s reasons for his return are vast. The chance to play for Darrell Clarke again, the man who gave him his first professional deal, the opportunity to wear the Quarters again, and the prospect of new beginnings in a familiar setting are just a handful.
In a way, perhaps it was always meant to be. Speaking in his first interview since putting pen to paper on his contract, Kilgour admitted to always having the sense there was ‘unfinished business’ in BS7.
Now the ink is dry on his signature, and with pre-season starting imminently, the defender is eager to pick back up where he left off…
Alfie, welcome back to Bristol Rovers! How does it feel?
“It feels absolutely amazing to be back. I class Bristol Rovers as my home, so it’s good to be back home for sure. It’s a fresh start and it is new beginnings, and some might even say there is a bit of unfinished business. It’s so good to be back.”
What made coming back to Rovers the right move?
“There are a lot of reasons. The Club is ambitious. This is a massive Club that definitely shouldn’t be in League Two. We have the gaffer, Darrell, who has come back, and he was the one who gave me my first professional contract at 17-years-old. That was a big draw too.
“Then there are the facilities, the fanbase, it’s everything. Bristol Rovers is a massive Club that was my home from the age of eight to 24. There were many draws, many good people at this Club who I want to reconnect with. And, from a personal standpoint, it’s a fresh start for me. I’ll give 110 per cent! There is an underlying love for this Club for my family and I, so to be back in the famous Blue-and-White Quarters is a dream and I’m very excited.”
You mentioned Darrell there. How have those early conversations gone?
“They’ve all been positive. Darrell knows all about me. I would say he has shaped a lot of the person I am today. From the age of 16 to about 20 I was under him. Although a younger professional then, he still sculpted a lot of the person I am and the player I am, as well as my attitude and values as both a person and a player. From a distance, I was able to learn under him.
“It [speaking to him again] was just like the old days again. He’s a great character and a great person and, ultimately, he’s a winner. I want to be a part of that. I want to be a part of his squad and his team and represent this Club as best as we can.”
What are some of your best memories from your first spell with Rovers?
“Obviously there are loads of memories. There is when I was 17 and I first got named in a team squad. I had to ring my dad and say ‘Dad, you need to take me to a shop to get a suit because I’ve made the 18-man squad’.
“There is also making my debut, and then also making friendships and building connections with people like the chefs, the groundsmen, the unsung heroes of the Club, and the fans too. I had a massive bond with the fans. I was one of them. I used to come and watch all the time growing up, and then being in the Academy too. To be back in amongst it at this great Club is a massive joy for me, and I can’t wait to get started.”
From a personal point of view, what’s changed with you since you were last year?
“I’ve grown. Ultimately as a player, but also as a human. I’ve experienced different things, both good and bad. I was able to get promoted as part of the team at Mansfield Town, and had a different environment to live and work in. With that, you change, and you adapt.
“It’s nice to be back here because enough has changed that it feels like a fresh start for me personally. But, also, it’s just like coming home. It’s familiar. Like I said, I sort of left quite quickly and abruptly last time I was here, and I always knew I had unfinished business at this Club, and I’m looking forward to trying to complete that.”
Those past connections; how important do you think those will be for you in the dressing room to help drive things?
“They’re massive. I know the gaffer is big on a team of men, a team of good work spirit, and winners. It’s going to take a lot for us to swing things back from the direction they were going in last year, but I know the squad and the quality that is already here, and we’ve got more than enough. It’s about everybody being on the same wavelength because it’s going to be tough this season. League Two is no easy league. Every game is going to be a battle and we’re going to need a team of winners and a team of men.
“Some days it’s not going to go our way. We’ll have great days and we’ll have bad days, but it is about sticking together, digging deep and ultimately doing our best for this Club. We have to give 110 per cent, live right, be professional and go about our business, and love what we do. We have the best job in the world so I’m relishing that, getting on that pitch at the start of the season, and getting that winning mentality going.”
Pre-season is about to begin. How excited are you to meet your new teammates?
“I’m excited. I’m like to think I’m a nice person, a good person, but I’m also a winner, and I want to see what the group is like and reconnect with some old teammates like Luke Thomas and Connor Taylor. I know Jed Ward as well so it’ll be nice to see them, get together and get that team spirit.
“Pre-season is a good time of year to dig in deep together a group. You put in the hard yards throughout pre-season and hopefully it pays you back throughout the season. I’m really excited to meet everyone, getting back integrated and familiar, and then get the ball rolling and get some work done.
“I’ve missed it. I’ve missed getting to work, working hard and grafting, because that’s my job. I like the off-season, I enjoy my time relaxing with my friends and my family, but now I’m excited to get back to work and hopefully have a successful season.”
Finally, how excited are you to get down to The Mem again and see all the Gasheads?
“I cannot wait. I was here, obviously, for Mansfield at the end of last season and it was hard because I was on the opposite team. But I can’t wait to see the fans and reconnect.
“I know there have been a few changes with the ground, and I’m sure with the gaffer returning too, I’m sure the fans will be firmly on our side and have our back. They’re passionate and they care. They love it, and I’m sure they are going to back us all the way. I can’t wait to see them and get the 2025/26 season underway. It’s going to be an exciting one.”
