Bristol Rovers v Portsmouth
Pre-season, The Memorial Stadium, Saturday 18 July July, 3:00pm KO
Bristol Rovers will continue their pre-season preparations by welcoming Portsmouth to The Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates won their first two pre-season outings, beating Weston-super-Mare 3-0 and Salisbury 3-2 on the road before switching from National League North opponents to former Premier League champions Leicester City.
The fixture was split into two hour-long contests, each consisting of 30-minute halves. The first ended in a draw, with Ellis Harrison netting the leveller after Kirsten Otchere's deflected opener before a narrow defeat in the second match.
Nevertheless, Rovers more than matched the Foxes, with the Gas turning their attention to Portsmouth. Pompey have played two pre-season fixtures so far, most recently losing to National League team Aldershot.
Read everything you need to know about the fixture below...
Tickets...
Tickets are still available for our fixture against Portsmouth here!
Opposition...
Portsmouth have had a steady rise through the EFL over the last decade. Emirates FA Cup winners in 2008, Pompey were in Sky Bet League Two as recently as the 2016/17, ending a four-year stay in the fourth tier by winning the title on goal difference.
After their promotion, they never came close to dropping back to Sky Bet League Two in their seven straight seasons in the third tier, with their lowest finish being tenth before they finally gained promotion back to the Sky Bet Championship. An incredible season saw them finish on 97 points to win the league in the 2023/24 campaign, with current Rovers defender Jack Sparkes in their ranks.
John Mousinho's men have had two steady seasons in the Championship, finishing 16th and 18th with 55 and 54 points, respectively, showing they have more than enough to stay out of the drop zone, but will be looking to climb up the table this term.
Andre Dozzell, who played 37 times for Pompey last season, has left for D.C. United, while first-team regulars like Conor Chaplin and Millenic Alli returned to their parent clubs after loan moves to the south coast.
In terms of incomings, Portsmouth have added Estonia international midfielder Rocco Shein to their ranks from Fredrikstad, while also signing Eoin Kenny from Dundalk and Odin Bailey from Stockport County.
Portsmouth have played two pre-season fixtures so far, beating Working before losing to Aldershot.
Previous Meetings...
Words by Club Historian, Keith Brookman...
For the second time this week, Rovers face a former FA Cup-winning side in a pre-season friendly; On Tuesday it was Leicester, on Saturday it will be Portsmouth.
We have met Pompey on 41 occasions in league football, winning 11, drawing nine and losing 21 of those games, having scored 47 goals to Portsmouth’s 62.
The first-ever league encounters took place in 1920/21, with Portsmouth running out 1-0 winners at Fratton Park on February 12 1921, and the sides playing out a 2-2 draw at Eastville seven days later.
After meeting each other in four consecutive seasons, up until 1923/24, there would be no further league games between the sides until 1959/60, when both were in the old Second Division. Alfie Biggs and Dai Ward were on target in a 2-0 win for Rovers at Eastville in September 1959 in front of a crowd of 20,634, and we also won the return fixture 5-4 at Fratton Park the following February when Ward and Peter Hooper both scored twice and Pompey’s Ron Howell’s put through his own goal.
We were in the same division the following season, and again for a couple of seasons in the mid-1970s and the early 1980s, and there were three consecutive campaigns in the early 1990s before fairly frequent meetings between 2013/14 and 2023/24. However, we have rarely been successful down at Fratton Park, where we have registered just two of our 11 victories.
One of those wins came in the 5-4 game already mentioned, the other in a 2-1 win on 21st October 1975, when Dave Staniforth and Bruce Bannister were on target. The last league meetings against Portsmouth were in 2023/24, when we drew 1-1 at Fratton Park on the opening day of the season (Luke Thomas was on target for us) and won 2-1 (thanks to goals from Antony Evans and Thomas) in the return fixture at The Mem, 2-1, on Boxing Day 2023.
We’ve met four times in the FA Cup, with Pompey winning 2-1 in 1911/12 and 4-0 in 1926/27 after a 3-3 draw at Eastville, while Rovers were 2-1 winners in 1954/55.
Pompey also has the edge in League Cup ties; the first time we met in that competition was in 1980/81 when we were drawn at home. The game was played at Ashton Gate due to Eastville being out of action because of fire damage and ended goalless. Portsmouth won the replay 2-0. They also won the 1989/90 encounter, over two legs, beating us 2-0 at Fratton Park following our 1-0 victory in the first leg at Eastville. The only Trophy meeting, at Fratton Park on November 8 2017, ended in a 1-0 victory for Portsmouth.
Portsmouth connections to Rovers' current squad include Ellis Harrison, who scored nine goals in 64 league games for the south coast club and Jack Sparkes, who made 38 league appearances for them. Meanwhile, Tommy Leigh was born in Portsmouth and was on their books as a youngster, while Ryan De Havilland had a trial at Fratton Park in the summer of 2021.
Opening Times...
Club Store: 10am – 3:00pm and full-time - 5:30pm
Ticket Office: Midday
BRFC Legends Bar: Midday
Home Fanzone: Midday
Access for disabled supporters: 1:15pm
Bars after Turnstile: 1:30pm
Home Turnstiles: 1:30pm
Away Turnstiles: 1:30pm
Staying safe at The Mem...
Bristol Rovers wants all attendees to enjoy football in a safe and inclusive environment.
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.
Furthermore, Bristol Rovers must ensure we operate in full accordance with EFL ground regulations. A particular issue that has been fed back by some fans is persistent standing. Supporters wishing to stand for matches are kindly advised to locate themselves in one of the available terraces.
Additionally, Bristol Rovers would like to remind all supporters that throwing objects onto the pitch or entering the field of play is strictly prohibited. Both offences are criminal acts under UK law. Anyone involved can face arrest, fines and potential banning orders. We ask all fans to support the team responsibly and help us maintain a safe and respectful matchday environment.
Bristol Rovers is committed to removing and eliminating any direct or indirect discrimination of any form or kind within club structures and will, under no circumstances, condone unlawful discriminatory practices. To discover how to report any incidents of discrimination, click here.
Match Officials...
Referee: Sonny Gill
Assistant Referee: James Hooper and Rich Morris
Fourth Official: Dan Leach
