Luke Southwood was Bristol Rovers’ hero against Salford City, with the Gas earning a 2-1 win over Ammies in Sky Bet League Two.
With the Pirates leading 2-1 at The Memorial Stadium heading into the final moments, with goals from Ellis Harrison and Fabrizio Cavegn helping the hosts come from behind to lead, Salford were given a penalty in the final minute of stoppage time.
Luke Garbutt stepped up to try and level for the Ammies, but Southwood came out on top, getting down to his right to push away the spot-kick before scrambling away the rebound.
The goalkeeper's stop helped the Gas to their fifth win in six outings, with Southwood delighted with his late heroics.
“It’s about as good as it gets,” he said. “I was devastated when the referee gave it, but then I thought immediately, ‘this is your chance now, you can get the boys a well-deserved three points.’ To go and do it, it’s about as good as it gets for a goalie, and the feeling is incredible.
“You do a bit of analysis and a lot of it goes on feeling, to be honest, in the moment and what you think, and you go with your instincts. It’s luck, but good technique to save it and get the rebound as well.
“I don’t think it was quite in the corner, and I dived past it, which makes it hard to catch. I managed to throw a hand, and I think one of the other lads got back and blocked it with me. It’s incredible.”
It was a difficult start to the contest for the Pirates, who conceded in the opening stages of the first half through Butcher's fine strike and showed character to keep the contest tight before levelling just before half-time through Harrison, who scored his third league goal for the Club since his return in the summer transfer window.
The Gas scored at the perfect time and had all the momentum in the second half, and made the most of their bright spell, with Cavegn wresting away from his marker before slotting his effort through Matthew Young's legs and into the back of the net. The Pirates came from behind to win for the first time this campaign, with Southwood pleased with the personality his side showed.
“We showed so many different sides to our game today,” said Southwood. I think in the first half, we knew we weren’t at the levels, but then against such a good team, we got in at half-time at 1-1, which shows where we are at the minute with the belief and the ability to dig in.
“In the second half, we showed our quality a bit more, and I thought we were probably the better team in the second half. I think we deserved the three points in the end.”
Cavegn's strike was his fifth goal in all competitions for the Gas, with the striker also netting in the Pirates' last three fixtures in the fourth tier. His finish against Salford showed pure confidence, with Southwood pleased for the striker for all the effort he puts in.
“You can see what he’s given us on the pitch, even without the goals, but now the goals are flowing for him, that’s brilliant, and he deserves it because he works so hard through the week. He does a lot of running out there, which sometimes doesn’t always get the rewards it deserves. The fact that the goals are going for him now, I’m buzzing for him.”
The Gas had a tough start to the 2025/26 season, but are unbeaten in their last eight fixtures in all competitions and have won their previous three matches at The Mem.
Rovers' home is now becoming a fortress, with Southwood sure that The Mem is a tough place for any team to come.
“I think I said it earlier in the season, but when the crowd are behind us like they were today, even when we went 1-0 down, you could still feel it,” said the goalkeeper. “The quality we’ve got in the changing room, I think it’s going to be such a hard place for boys to come. I think that combined atmosphere when the crowd builds and the quality we’ve got and the way the gaffer sets us up, I think we can really make it a fortress.”
