Bristol Rovers v Oldham Athletic
Sky Bet League Two, The Memorial Stadium, Tuesday 19 August 2025, 7:45pm KO
Bristol Rovers will play their first of back-to-back Sky Bet League Two fixtures at The Memorial Stadium this week when they host Oldham Athletic on Tuesday night.
The Pirates will be looking to kick-start their 2025/26 campaign after a difficult start, losing all four games across all competitions. The Gas recently fell to an unlucky 3-1 defeat to Chesterfield, with Joel Senior shown a straight red card before Tom Naylor opened the scoring for the Spireites moments later. Isaac Hutchinson levelled off the bench after the break, but the hosts struck twice late on through Kyle McFadzean and Armando Dobra.
This week provides Rovers with the opportunity to get back on track in front of The Mem crowd, with the fixture against the Latics quickly followed by a match against Cambridge United on Saturday, with Darrell Clarke's men looking to avenge their Carabao Cup loss to the U's earlier this month.
Oldham lost 2-1 to Swindon Town in their previous Sky Bet League Two fixture, with Joe Snowdon and Tom Nichols scoring for the Robins before Joe Quigley netted a consolation for the Pirates' upcoming opponents.
Tickets...
Tickets are still available for our fixture at home to Oldham!
A streamlined pricing structure means a single price band is now operating at Bristol Rovers for the 2025/26 Sky Bet League Two season, with Early Bird pricing available for online purchases up until the start of kick-off!
Get all the information about the pricing structure here!
Tickets purchased in person at our Matchday Ticket Office will include a minor price increase of two pounds across the board, implemented to encourage supporters to purchase tickets in advance and help the Club to forecast required staffing and stewarding appropriately.
Get your tickets now here!
Opposition...
Oldham secured a return to the EFL after a three-year absence in dramatic fashion last season. The Latics finished in fifth position in the National League last season and thumped Halifax Town and York City to set up a Wembley final against Southend United.
Twice trailing in front of 52,000 people, including in extra-time, substitutes James Norwood and Kian Harratt struck in a matter of minutes to turn the score around and secure Oldham's first promotion in 34 years.
Despite failing to collect a victory in their first three fixtures of the new campaign, Oldham have had a steady start to their return to the fourth tier.
Micky Mellon's men drew 0-0 with promotion pushers Milton Keynes Dons on the opening day before a 1-1 draw with Colchester United.
Oldham suffered a blow early on in the transfer market, with Norwood leaving the club after scoring 26 goals in 65 games in the National League to join Fleetwood Town.
They have brought in plenty of experience to their ranks, adding duo Joe Quigley and Jamie Robson from Forest Green Rovers and Kieron Morris and Josh Hawkes from Tranmere Rovers.
They also made a familiar addition for Rovers fans, with Ryan Woods joining the Latics. The midfielder had a loan spell at the Gas during the 2023/24 season, where he made 12 appearances in Sky Bet League One.
Oldham will be attempting to improve their away record in Sky Bet League Two and have only won one of their last ten games in the fourth tier (drawing four and losing five), failing to score in their last three.
Previous Meetings...
Rovers have a strong record against Oldham and have only lost three of their previous 14 games against their upcoming opponents, stretching back to 2007. However, the Latics won the last meeting between the two teams in 2022, coming away with a 2-1 win at Boundary Park in 2022. The visitors will be searching for successive victories over the Gas for the first time since 2001.
Nevertheless, the Pirates have won six of their last seven against Oldham at The Memorial Stadium, keeping a clean sheet in their previous triumph, with Harvey Saunders scoring the only goal in their last meeting at BS7.
Match Officials...
Referee: James Oldham
Assistant Referee: Kevin Morris and Ollie Williams
Fourth Official: Bailey Walker
