Bristol Rovers v Cambridge United
Sky Bet League One, The Memorial Stadium, Saturday 31 August, 3:00pm KO
Bristol Rovers will play at The Memorial Stadium for the first time in Sky Bet League One since the opening day of the season when they host Cambridge United.
The Gas started their campaign in the third tier with a victory at home, beating Northampton Town 1-0 after a stoppage-time winner from Bryant Bilongo. The Pirates followed their triumph with a strong 0-0 draw on the road against Rotherham United.
However, Matt Taylor’s men did suffer their first defeat in the league this season against Stockport County last time out, losing 2-0 against the Hatters, who are at the top of the table after three successive wins without conceding.
As for Cambridge, they displayed excellent spirit in their previous outing, coming from 4-1 down against Blackpool to claim a stunning 4-4 draw against the Tangerines at the Cledara Abbey Stadium.
There will be a minute of applause before the match for former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who sadly died aged 76 earlier this week.
Tickets…
Tickets are still available for Saturday’s match and can be purchased here!
Opposition…
Cambridge are playing in League One for the fourth consecutive season and claimed an eighteenth-placed finish last season, with Mark Bonner and Neil Harris having permanent spells in charge of the U’s before current boss Gary Monk was appointed in March.
The draw at home to Blackpool ended a three-match losing streak in all competitions for the visitors, with Cambridge suffering defeats to Stockport and Crawley Town in League One, either side of a 2-1 loss to Queens Park Rangers in the first-round of the Carabao Cup.
Cambridge have been busy in the transfer market, adding players on permanent deals and loans. Shayne Lavery moved from Blackpool in the summer and netted a brace against his former club last weekend. Other free transfers include experienced midfielder Gary Gardner, Korey Smith, Kell Watts, and James Gibbons, who spent the second half of last season on loans from the Gas at the club.
Starting goalkeeper Vicente Reyes joined on loan from Norwich City, with Taylor Richards, Connor O’Riordan and Josh Stokes making a temporary switch from the Championship.
Previous Meetings…
Rovers have a strong record against Cambridge and have won seven of their previous eight meetings in all competitions.
Despite losing 2-0 away to the U’s last season in League One, the Gas won at The Memorial Stadium, with Chris Martin netting the only goal late in the second half to hand Taylor’s men all three points.
Opening Times
- Club Store: 10am to kick-off and until 5.30pm after full-time.
- Thatcher's Bar/Bristol: 11.30am - 8pm
- Irenes Kitchen 11.30am
- Home fanzone 12pm
- Away fanzone 12:30pm
- Bars after Turnstile: 1.30pm
- Home Turnstiles: 1.30pm
- Away Turnstiles: 1.30pm
- Accessibility stand 1:15pm
Please note that the Bristol Bar and Irenes Kitchen will be closed at 3pm.
Allocated seating…
Seated tickets come with an allocated seat and row number, and supporters are kindly reminded to sit only in the seat that comes with the ticket.
Persistent standing…
Furthermore, Bristol Rovers FC must ensure we operate in full accordance with national rules and regulations. A particular issue that has been fed back by some fans is persistent standing which will impact the Club's ability to achieve 100 per cent occupancy, should standing continue.
Supporters wishing to stand for matches are kindly advised to locate themselves in one of the available terraces.
Officials:
Referee: Craig Hicks
Assistant Referees: Declan O'Shea and Christopher Husband
Fourth Official: Matthew Russell
Monthly Magazine...
The match against Cambridge will be the final chance to purchase the first issue of the Club's brand-new, monthly magazine - Pirates Monthly!
The 84-page, glossy A4 publication is full of exclusive content. Issue 1 provides a deep dive into the Club's summer signings and insightful long-reads with Promise Omochere, Taylor Moore and much more!
Pirates Monthly retails at £5.99 and is available from the Stadium Store at The Memorial Stadium.
The magazine will run between August 2024 and May 2025. Home-mail subscriptions can be purchased here, as well as individual issues!
