Bristol Rovers 0-1 Notts County
Sky Bet League Two, The Memorial Stadium, Saturday 29 November 2025
Bristol Rovers fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Notts County in Sky Bet League Two at The Memorial Stadium.
The Gas had the lion’s share of chances at the beginning of the match, with Clinton Mola heading wide, Jack Cotterill slamming the post, and Ellis Harrison going close before Tyrese Hall saw red for the visitors just after the half-hour mark.
The Pirates continued to dominate the ten men of Notts after the restart, with Harrison heading off target, Freddie Issaka thumping the bar, and Luke Thomas going close before the Magpies netted the only goal of the contest five minutes from the end.
Kellan Gordon supplied the ball to Matthew Dennis, whose curling shot from the left took a deflection off a defener and past Luke Southwood, with the goalkeeper going the other way.
Chances were hard to come by in the first ten minutes, as either side struggled to hold onto possession. The first opportunity of the game came to the Gas, lifting the crowd at The Mem. Jack Sparkes and Luke Thomas combined cleverly before the full-back overhit his cross, but the move showed signs of what was to come.
Joel Cotterill sent a dangerous, right-footed free-kick into the box towards Mola, who flicked his header marginally wide of the right post. Sparkes then created panic in Notts' box with a clever corner from the left, with the visitors only able to clear the ball as far as Cotterill, who thumped the post.
Rovers continued to hold onto the possession, with Harrison knocking a header just wide of the post after getting on the end of a cross from Macauley Southam-Hales.
The Mapgies were under serious pressure and then went down to ten men, with Tyrese Hall lunging in on Southam-Hales before being shown a straight red card. County's opportunity of the first half came from a corner, with Southwood clawing the ball away under pressure.
Rovers started the second half quickly, with Cotterill getting possession inside the box before dragging his low strike wide of the left post. Fabrizio Cavegn was then added to the attack, but it was Harrison who went close again, heading over from close range.
The chances kept coming for the Gas. Tom Lockyer headed an effort at Kelle Roos, and Luke Thomas blasted a shot off target before Jack Sparkes went close to his first goal for the Pirates. He switched the ball onto his right foot before bending an effort on target, with the goalkeeper pushing it away.
Freddie Issaka was also threatening down the left and looked to drive forward with possession at every opportunity. The winger had a shot from range that rattled the bar, with Harrison unable to turn in the rebound.
Callum Morton came on for his Rovers debut five minutes from time, but it was Notts' substitutions who made the difference. Rushing away on the counter, Gordon played the ball across to Dennis on the left, with the 23-year-old's shot from outside the box deflecting past Southwood and into the net.
Bristol Rovers: Southwood, Sparkes, Mola, Forde (McEachran 46), Thomas, Lockyer ©, Cotterill, Harrison (Morton 86), Southam-Hales (Issaka 41), Chang, Negru (Cavegn 51)
Subs not used: Young, Conteh, Łopata
Booked: Harrison, Mola
Notts County: Roos, Bedeau ©, Platt, Grant (Kouhyar 86), Iorpenda (Norburn 68), Robertson, Tsaroulla (Ness 69), Hall, Macari, Jatta (Dennis 68), Bennetts (Gordon 86)
Subs not used: Griffiths, Traoré
Goals: Dennis
Booked: Robertson, Bennetts, Jatta
Red: Hall
Referee: Edward Duckworth
Attendance: 7807 (1252 away)
