Dundee v Bristol Rovers
Pre-season, St Andrews Elite Performance Facility, Wednesday 29 July 2026, 7pm KO
Bristol Rovers will start their trip to Scotland with a pre-season fixture against Scottish Premiership side Dundee on Wednesday evening.
The Pirates have been put through their paces in their pre-season fixture schedule and tested against different types of teams since returning to action at the start of July.
Wins over National League South teams Weston-super-Mare and Salisbury were followed by 120 minutes of football against Leicester City at The Mem. The Gas then drew 1-1 with Sky Bet Championship side Portsmouth before coming from behind to draw 2-2 with Forest Green Rovers, with Tommy Leigh bagging a brace.
As for Dundee, they have already started with their competitive fixtures, recently beating Scottish League Two team Clyde 4-0 in the Premier Sports Cup group stages.
Opposition…
Dundee have spent the last three seasons in the Scottish Premiership, finishing sixth, tenth and eighth. The Dee had a difficult start to the previous campaign and only won three of their first 16 matches, leaving them towards the bottom of the table.
However, three straight victories followed, including a 1-0 triumph over rivals Dundee United, which kick-started their season. After a difficult start to the season, manager Steven Pressley led his side to a first home win over Celtic for 37 years, a point at Ibrox and a derby success at Tannadice.
Dundee's first competitive fixture came in early July, beating Airdrieonians and Annan Athletic in the Premier Sports Cup group stages before losing 4-0 to Everton in a home friendly. They then returned to cup action with a draw against Ross County before beating Clyde 4-0, ensuring their passage into the last 16.
There have been some key departures, with Jon McCracken and Luke Graham moving to Stoke City and Bradford City, respectively. In terms of incomings, Idris Odutayo and Ryan Finnigan have moved from Sky Bet League One, with Zan Besir joining from ND Primorje. The Dark Blues have also dipped into the Premier League market, bringing in Owen Bevan from Bournemouth and Owen Goodman on loan from Crystal Palace.
Previous Meeting…
Rovers' previous and only meeting with Dundee came all the way back in July 1980, with the teams playing out a goalless draw at Eastville. Terry Cooper was a player-manager for the Gas, with a young Gary Mabbutt and Mark Hughes featuring for the Pirates.
Club Historian Keith Brookman provided a programme cover and a short match report from the pre-season fixture.
