Chippenham Town v Bristol Rovers
Pre-season fixture, The Thornbury Surfacing Stadium, Friday 4 July 2025, 7:30pm
Bristol Rovers' first pre-season match of the 2025/26 season sees the Gas taking a short trip to local side Chippenham Town.
The Gas aim to bounce back to their winning ways as they start a six-match summer schedule to build fitness and team cohesion ahead of the League Two campaign. After the trip to the Bluebirds, the Pirates will go to southern Spain to face Sky Bet League One outfit Stockport County, ahead of away games against Bath City and Yeovil Town. Rovers will then face Coventry City at The Memorial Stadium before going to Oxford United one week before the start of the campaign.
The game against Chippenham will also be a special one for new Head Coach Darrell Clarke, who will take charge of his first Rovers game since returning to the Club in the summer. The 47-year-old gained back-to-back promotions with the Pirates between 2014-18 and will be aiming for another successful season at BS7.
Rovers have also been busy in the transfer window with the signings of left-back Jack Sparkes, goalkeeper Brad Young, right-back Macauly Southam-Hales, and the return of centre-back Alfie Kilgour.
Tickets...
Tickets for our fixture against Chippenham are available to purchase here!
Please note, this fixture will not be streamed.
Travel...
Start on the M32 northbound, and look for signs for Frenchay/Fishponds/Horfield/Stapleton). Keep right to stay on the M32, then take the exit onto the M4. At junction 17, take the A429/A350 exit to Cirencester/Chippenham. At Stanton St Quintin, take the 3rd exit onto B4122. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on B4122. Turn left onto B4069 and turn right onto Station Road. Continue straight onto the Grn and continue onto Station Rd. The time should be approximately 36 minutes.
Alternatively, you can take a train from Bristol Temple Meads to Chippenham Train Station.
Opposition...
After steady progress through non-league tiers, Chippenham dominated the Southern League Premier Division in 2016/17 with a record-breaking 103 points to earn promotion to the National League South.
Since then, they have remained consistently in the National League South and finished 14th in the previous season.
They aim to improve again this season with the new signing defender Canice Carroll to strengthen their numbers.
The hosts will also be welcoming back Dan Ellison, who signed for the Gas from the Bluebirds last summer. The centre-back started the season with the Pirates before going out on loan to National League side Aldershot Town, where he lifted the Isuzu FA Trophy at Wembley after scoring in a 3-0 victory over Spennymoor Town.
Previous Meetings...
Rovers previously faced off against Chippenham in a pre-season friendly on the July 12 2022, winning 4-1 at Hardenhuish Park. The Gas scored the opening goal in the first minute, with a strike from former striker John Marquis. The Bluebirds equalised in the 14th minute from the penalty spot, after one of the trialists was tripped inside the area.
Marquis completed his brace in the 24th minute after the ball was passed by Saunders, and confidently kicked into the net. Five minutes later, Saunders scored himself, booting the ball into the top corner.
Saunders netted his brace in the 56th minute, after being played in by Westbrooke.
We also faced Chippenham on July 24 2006, at Hardenhuish Park, with goals from Sean Rigg and Cai Jingyuan, winning 2-1 against the Bluebirds.
Rigg’s goal happened in the 10th minute after he scored a header past goalkeeper Steve Perrin. The lead was doubled 10 minutes later by Cai Jingyuan as he scored a left-footed shot past Perrin.
The home side scored in the latter stages when the substitute Alan Griffin headed past Mike Green, after a corner from Sean Seavill.
