Bristol Rovers 2-1 Barrow AFC
The Memorial Stadium, Sky Bet League Two, Saturday 13 September 2025
First goals for Josh McEachran and Fabrizio Cavegn were the difference as Bristol Rovers withstood a spirited, second-half fightback to secure a 2-1 win over Barrow AFC.
Midfielder McEachran curled in a spinning left-footed effort on 16 minutes to open the scoring, bamboozling goalkeeper Wyll Stanway with his ball back into the box.
Cavegn then got in on the action before the half-hour mark, latching onto Promise Omochere’s knock-down to bullet in the team’s second.
Omochere himself went close to getting on the score-sheet but Barrow made a real game of the second half when Connor Mahoney headed in with a little over 20 minutes still to play.
But the Gas held on for a fourth consecutive League Two win.
In ever-changing conditions it was a bright start from the Gas in BS7, with Omochere and Luke Thomas looking particularly lively in the opening exchanges.
Rovers’ opener was found on 16 minutes when Joel Senior’s corner was cleared back out only as far as McEachran, who set himself to cross back into the danger area. His ball in caught out Stanway, flying over the Barrow goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
The next real action of note led to the second for the home side. A lovely team move concluded with Jack Sparkes receiving the ball out wide, with his cross being knocked back into a dangerous area by the industrious Omochere. Fabrizio Cavegn was in the right place at the right time and, from six yards out, made no mistake and smashed home in his first in the blue-and-white quarters.
Barrow, for the most part, struggled to lay a glove on the disciplined Rovers back-line. An audacious bicycle kick by Josh Gordon surprised the returning Luke Southwood, but the effort was wide, as was Lewis Shipley’s close-range attempt from a corner that really should have seen the visitors half the deficit.
As the first-half ticked into three additional minutes Rovers could – and perhaps should – have grabbed a third when McEachran again played a terrific pass, this time into Omochere. The No9 skipped into the box and struck a sweet effort that could only find the side netting.
The away side came out swinging in the second half with Gordon firing an effort over the bar, before Omochere came close again to a deserved finish when he met another Sparkes cross.
The Bluebirds got themselves back into the match on 69 minutes when a ball into the box was turned in by Mahoney, giving the 177 away supporter a reason to cheer as the lead was halved.
Only a superb Southwood stop stood between Barrow and a second goal just minutes later too, with the No1 getting down quickly to make a top save.
The Thatchers End almost saw a real moment of magic on 83 minutes when Sparkes’ free-kick from distance was clawed away by Stanway.
Hearts were in mouths for the majority in The Memorial Stadium just moments later when Isaac Fletcher went down in the box, but referee Samuel Allison instead showed a yellow card the other way for simulation.
Bristol Rovers: Southwood, Senior (Southam-Hales 90), Sparkes, Kilgour (c), Omochere, Thomas (Issaka 90), McEachran, Conteh, Chang (Cotterill 67), Cavegn (Harrison 67), Lopata
Subs not used: Moore, Bilongo, Dewsbury
Goals: McEachran 16, Cavegn 29
Barrow AFC: Stanway, Shipley, Raglan (Mahoney 19), Canavan (c), Jackson, Smith (Booty 62), Newby (Williams 85), Cameron (Fletcher 62), Earing, Gordon (Walker 85), Barkhuizen
Subs not used: Winterbottom,
Goals: Mahoney 69
Booked: Raglan, Fletcher
Referee: Samuel Allison
Attendance: 7,267
