Bristol Rovers' 2025/26 campaign gets underway on Saturday against Harrogate Town at The Memorial, and Bryant Bilongo is buzzing to get the season started.
Darrel Clarke’s side recorded four wins and two defeats in their pre-season fixtures, building up to the beginning of the Sky Bet League Two season, including a trip to southern Spain, which saw Darrell Clarke's men face up against Stockport County during our training camp.
The gas then returned to England, defeating Bath City and Yeovil Town away from home before returning to The Memorial Stadium to face Sky Bet Championship outfit Coventry City and losing 2-0. Preparation was closed out at The Kassam Stadium against Oxford United, which saw Micah Anthony score the decisive goal in the latter stages of the game to ensure the Pirates finished pre-season in style.
Speaking to BRTV in the build-up to our match against the Sulphurites, Bilongo expressed his excitement about getting the season underway.
“I’m so excited to get going," he said. "We’ve been waiting all of pre-season to get out there in front of the fans, and our first game is at The Mem once again. The team and I are so excited to get out there.
“Pre-season went well, we had some tough opponents, especially the last two games being Championship teams, we learnt a lot with sort of a new team we’ve been looking to create those bonds on and off the pitch, especially after our time out in Spain. I feel like it's gone really well and there’s a good feeling going in towards Saturday’s game.”
Pre-season has been packed with midweek games, but there has not been a fixture since Rovers beat Oxford last weekend. This has given the players time to put in plenty of hard work at The Quarters Training Facility.
"It has been really good to just focus on the game and work towards it," said Bilongo. "The gaffer is really putting into us what he wants us to do and how he wants us to play, and hopefully we can execute."
Bilongo knows Harrogate well, having spent the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan with the north Yorkshire side, appearing 16 times and scoring once. The defender is excited about the prospect of linking up with them again, especially with the game being the season opener.
“I’ve been waiting for this; I’m happy that it’s the first game, so all that excitement builds into it," said Bilongo. "I’m happy to see my mates again and share a pitch with them again, as it’s a club that treated me well. It will be a good match.
"James Belshaw texted first, and I gave him and a couple of others a message," said the defender. "Fun fact, my opening day goal was against Ben Fox, one of the Harrogate midfielders, and he’ll hate me for saying this, so hopefully there will be round two.
"The staff have done their analysis on them. I don’t know if there is any more information I could bring; if needed, I will, as I know a lot about them, but they also know a lot about me, obviously."
It's been almost a year since Bilongo marked his EFL debut memorably and dramatically, scoring in a stoppage-time winner for the Pirates in a 1-0 victory over Northampton Town at The Mem. It was the 24-year-old's last competitive goal for the Club, and he would love to do it again this weekend, but admitted he will be happy as long as he ends on the winning side.
“I’m hoping for more of the same this weekend and more," he said. "I want to get more goal contributions to my game. It’s the best part of football, scoring a goal, but whether it’s me scoring or not, I'll celebrate just as much for my teammates and just as much if I’m on the bench; it’s a team game.”
“I’m so ready for the atmosphere at The Mem, hopefully the fans will get the best out of us, and we’ll look to bring the best out of them. I know how it can get rocking if we’re doing well; they are always behind us, so we’ll give them something to cheer about.”
