Accrington Stanley 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Sky Bet League Two, The Wham Stadium, Saturday 15 November 2025
Bristol Rovers fell to their sixth straight defeat in Sky Bet League Two after losing 3-1 to Accrington Stanley.
Stanley got off to the perfect start at home, with Isaac Heath converting from close range, but they could not build on their advantage before half-time. The Pirates reacted strongly to going behind and had plenty of chances before the break.
Shaq Forde curled a first-time effort over, and Alfie Chang saw a shot cleared off the line before the visitors levelled in sublime style. Kamil Conteh set himself on the edge of the box before driving his low shot beyond Ollie Wright.
The Pirates had the momentum, but the hosts scored against the run of play through Farred Rawson to regain the lead before Isaac Sinclair doubled their lead moments later to confirm all three points.
The Pirates were searching for their first-ever victory away at Accrington and were boosted by the return of Ellis Harrison, who missed the previous three league games through injury, with Darrell Clarke naming him in the attack.
Accrington were unbeaten in eight home outings against the Gas and gained the lead within six minutes. Captain Shaun Whalley got down the right and drilled a cutback into the heart of the box towards Heath, who converted from close range.
The Gas looked bright after conceding but could not convert their possession and final-third entries into clear opportunities. Forde went the closest for the visitors in the opening 20 minutes, sending a switch from Clinton Mola over the bar from the right side of the box.
The Pirates kept pushing forward, with Forde winning a corner after good combination play with Ellis Harrison. The Gas went short, and Forde whipped a deep cross towards Lockyer, who knocked the ball towards Alfie Chang, but his low blast was cleared off the line. Moments later, Macauley Southam-Hales sent a bouncing first-time effort over the bar.
Rovers made one change at the break, looking to find a leveller, with Ruel Sotiriou replacing Bryant Bilongo. The first opportunity fell to the Gas, with Cavegn collecting the ball on the left side of the box and shooting over before the flag went up for offside.
Rovers were having all of the chances and levelled just before the hour mark. Conteh provided the late winner against Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night and found the back of the net again, thundering a strike from the edge of the box low past Ollie Wright.
The Pirates were in the ascendancy but fell behind for a second time against the run of play. Rawson got on the end of a corner from the left, battling to win the ball before poking in his shot.
The momentum switched, with Accrington scoring again to double their advantage. Brad Young made an excellent save to deny Paddy Madden before Sinclair curled his shot into the bottom corner moments later.
Accrington Stanley: Wright, Love, Grant (Bauress 79), Rawson, Coyle (Conneely 97), Whalley (Caton 79), Sinclair, Ward, Matthews, Walton (Madden 56), Heath
Subs not used: Kelly, Henderson, Woods
Goals: Heath 6, Rawson 72, Sinclair 77
Booked: Walton 40, Whalley 60, Ward 62
Bristol Rovers: Young, Mola (Sparkes 81), Forde, Lockyer, Harrison (Thomas 67), Conteh, Southam-Hales (Moore 81), Chang, Bilongo (Sotiriou 46), Negru, Cavegn.
Howley, Hill, English
Goals: Conteh 58
Booked: Chang 23, Forde 26, Mola 40
Referee: Sebastian Stockbridge
Attendance: 2,558 (445 away)
