Bristol Rovers 2-1 Crewe Alexandra
Sky Bet League Two, The Memorial Stadium, Saturday 7 March 2026
Tommy Leigh netted a late brace to help Bristol Rovers come from behind to beat Crewe Alexandra in Sky Bet League Two.
The match got off to a slow start, with little to separate the two teams. Alfie Pond gave the Railwaymen the lead in the first half, getting onto Tommi O'Reilly's cutback before bunding the ball into the net from close range.
The Gas struggled to get going before the break, with Steve Evans making a triple change at half-time. The hosts immediately got on the front foot, with Leigh, one of the substitutes, making the ultimate difference.
The Bradford City loanee got onto Joel Senior's cross to power a header past Ian Lawlor to level the score before thundering a strike into the bottom corner to seal all three points for the Pirates.
Evans made one change to the team that drew 1-1 with Swindon Town in their last outing, with Jack Sparkes replacing Ryan de Havilland, pushing Clinton Mola into the midfield.
Rovers scored twice in the first seven minutes against Grimsby Town in their previous outing at The Mem, but could not get off to a similar start, with Ellis Harrison lifting a first-time shot well over the bar.
Crewe had the majority of the corners in the first half, causing a threat with their height in the box and did their best to stop the momentum of the game with their slow restarts.
The visitors then gained the lead on 17 minutes. O'Reilly's cutback fell to Pond, whose first shot was blocked before the ball rebounded off him and into the back of the net for a scrappy opener.
The Gas tried to retaliate, as Jack Sparkes played in a dangerous cross towards Ellis Harrison, but the cross soared over the striker, and Rovers were frustrated as they could not find the back of the net.
The Railway picked up possession towards the back end of the first half, with the visitors swarming around the box, but Conor Thomas or Josh March were able to net a second goal. As additional time crept in, Crewe grasped onto the ball, and winger O’Reilly cannoned two left-footed shots towards Brad Young but was denied by a compact Rovers defence.
The Pirates found their footing from a treble substitution, which saw Ryan de Havilland, Leigh, and Fabrizio Cavegn join the clash, as the visitors led at half-time.
The Gas pushed forward, and the play remained in Crewe's defensive third for most of the second half, but the ball would not drop in the right place. Instead, Crewe went close to doubling their advantage. Max Sanders lofted a cross to Crewe captain Mickey Demetriou, who nodded the ball across the goal, but Young pushed his effort over.
Quigley hastily tried to reduce the difference, holding off his marker well before dragging a shot from the edge of the box wide of the left post. However, Rovers kept putting the pressure on, and their dominance paid off in the final minutes.
Joel Senior had possession on the right and lifted a cross into a dangerous area, with Leigh losing marker Matúš Holíček before powering his header beyond Lawlor.
As four minutes of additional time went up, it could have been more due to the stoppages, but Rovers made the most of the time they had. Clinton Mola battled for the ball, and it dropped to Leigh, who blasted his strike into the bottom corner to lift the roof off The Mem and give the Gas a fourth home win in four outings.
Bristol Rovers: Young, Senior, Sparkes, Kilgour ©, Mola, Akhamrich (de Havilland 46), Thompson-Sommers (Leigh 46), Balmer, Harrison (Cavegn 46), Quigley, Smallwood (Thomas 78)
Subs not used: Southwood, Lockyer, Rijks
Goals: Tommy Leigh (x2)
Bookings: Harrison, Balmer, Mola
Crewe Alexandra: Lawlor, Billington, Hutchinson, Demetriou ©, Thomas (Sanders 62), Holicek, Connolly, Powell (Agius 62), March (Bogle 63), Pond, O’Reilly (Lankester 73)
Subs not used: Booth, Finney, Thibaut
Goals: Pond
Bookings: Billington, Sanders, Connolly, Bogle
Match Official: Edward Duckworth
Attendance: 7924 (584 away)
