Bristol Rovers' upcoming clash against Newport County is the Gas' first fixture since a busy transfer Deadline Day, with Darrell Clarke ready for a tough challenge in the Severnside derby.
The Pirates brought in fourteen players in the summer transfer window, adding strength to every area of the squad for the 2025/26 Sky Bet League Two season. Lots of the business was completed early on, but four moves were done on the final day, with Joel Cotterill, Stephan Negru, Freddie Issaka and Aflie Chang all arriving on loan.
With the squad confirmed, all of Rovers' attention can be focused on league action, with the Gas unbeaten in their last three fixtures in the fourth tier. The Pirates have not conceded in that time and have won back-to-back matches, beating Cambridge United at The Memorial Stadium before an impressive victory away at Grimsby Town.
Speaking before the game against Newport, Clarke first showed his support for Isaac Hutchinson before reflecting on the transfer window and looking ahead to the next match.
CLARKE ON HUTCHINSON ABUSE
"It’s disgraceful, to be honest with you. It’s society today, isn’t it? Sometimes it stinks, but Isaac and his family have gotour full support. I’ve touched base with Isaac, and as you can see by our Club statement, none of that will be tolerated. It is not what we want to hear or see. So, I wish Isaac all the best in his loan move at Cheltenham, and I hope his family is OK.
"I’ve always said this, it’s not just football, by the way. It’s a society problem and it’s a social media problem that’s been there for numerous years. More needs to be done on that aspect. People can hide behind phones and messages, and more needs to be done about that.
"So, I don’t think it’s just a football thing. We need to eradicate it from the world, but I can’t see it going anywhere soon. One of the big things for me is that you’ve got to be mindful that when you put yourself out there, the abuse is going to come, and you don’t have to accept that. You should never have to accept that, but I think the social media side of thingsis the way it goes. It’s every week now.
"You read newspapers and reports online, someone is getting abuse, or someone is getting racist abuse. Moore needs to be done about it, and it’s not a nice thing to see or hear."
TRANSFER WINDOW REVIEW
"I think we need to talk about phase one of the project. We did a fair bit of early business that I thought was the right business. Ricky Martin and I worked hard to get the right culture into the Club, the right personnel into the changing room and the environment, and we did that, but we also understood that we had to level and make sure we were more sustainable because the Club couldn’t continue to spend the way we were spending.
"That was important. So, Ricky and I had been working hard with that, and we did our early recruitment, then we player traded two players, which, to be honest with you, needed to be done to level the books. That enabled us to do more business on Deadline Day. So, it’s been made easier. Ricky is a top operator, and it’s made it easier for me. Ricky and I have been working hard with the recruitment team; we’ve got plenty of contacts in that book, and on the final day we managed to bring four players in."
THE SQUAD
"Now it’s about connecting it again with four new players coming in. We’ve built a bit of a platform over the last two or three games, and we have to continue to do that and improve. What I always say is that there is no quick fix to that, and it will take as long as it takes. Everybody wants it here and now. You think you can do one session and turn your team into Real Madrid and Barcelona, but it doesn’t work like that.
"It’s an ongoing process around how we work and how we coach. I’ve got a tremendous coaching team, and I believe I’ve got the right people at the Club that are going to improve our squad and will improve our players."
PLENTY MORE TO COME
"There has to be. We’ve had a good couple of wins now and a good couple of clean sheets, but I am under no illusion about where we are, and we are miles off what we need to be. We process the good and the bad after every game, but we have to get better. We know that, but we’ve built ourselves a little bit of a platform in the last few games. There are so many games to play this season and so much work to do with the group."
BRAD YOUNG
"There are no understudies here. You’ve got to be fighting for that number one shirt. Luke Southwood has had a solid start at the Football Club, and Brad’s training is really hard. James Bittner, a top-quality goalkeeping coach, is working hard with him, so we’re looking forward to seeing him put in a performance."
NEWPORT COUNTY PREVIEW
"It’s a derby game, isn’t it? All games are tough at the professional level. So, we’re respectful of what Newport is and what they can bring. Obviously, there was a new manager in the summer, and he’s finding his feet a little bit, as we all are. So, it will be a tough challenge, but we go there on the back of a really positive result and will try to get another one."
