It is time to vote for your Bristol Rovers Men's March Player Of The Month, sponsored by Christophe Duchamp!
It was a fantastic month for the Gas, who claimed five wins in six outings. The Pirates started with a late comeback victory over Crewe Alexandra before following it up with an important 2-0 triumph away at Barrow just three days later.
Steve Evans' men then fell to a narrow 1-0 loss to Sky Bet League Two leaders Shrewsbury Town, but responded immediately, beating Shrewsbury Town 1-0 under the lights at The Mem. Rovers then came from behind to claim all three points away at Gillingham before a professional 2-0 win over Accrington Stanley last Saturday.
Gasheads can now vote for the Rovers player who stood out as the Player Of The Month in March, with four options from the men’s first team to choose from!
Tommy Leigh
What a month it has been for Tommy Leigh. Brought in on loan from Sky Bet League One team Bradford City in January, the midfielder lifted the roof off of The Mem in the Gas' first game in April.
The 25-year-old came off the bench to head in the leveller against Crewe in the 87th minute before driving a low strike into the bottom left corner inside stoppage time to complete the Gas' comeback.
Leigh then started against Barrow and was in the goals again, directing a clever effort off of both posts on its way in to break the deadlock against the Bluebirds, helping the Gas on their way to a 2-0 victory.
He missed the game against Bromley but scored his fourth goal in three games after netting against Shrewsbury Town, with his deflected shot beating Matthew Cox.
Jack Sparkes
Sparkes has played five full matches out of a possible six in March. The left-back was important against Crewe, making five defensive contributions and registering 12 passes into the final third.
The defender then had one of his best outings against Barrow. The 24-year-old registered his first assist of the campaign, looping the ball towards Leigh to score, whilst also creating three chances. He also won all six duels in a complete performance.
Sparkes then went one better against Accrington. The defender netted his second goal in the blue-and-white quarters, curling a clever effort into the bottom-left corner, whilst also creating two chances and completing nine defensive contributions.
Joel Senior
Joel Senior did not miss a minute of action in March. He got off to a bright start, registering an assist against Crewe. The right-back collected possession on the right and curled a perfect cross towards Leigh, who directed his close-range header into the back of the net. He also made seven defensive contributions, completed ten passes into the final third, and was never dispossessed.
The 26-year-old got another assist in the next game against Barrow, showing his pace to get down the right before playing a clever pass across to Fabrizio Cavegn for a simple finish.
Senior was a constant threat down the right during March, whilst also showing defensive solidity, with the former Morecambe man making the right-back position his own in the Rovers team.
Richie Smallwood
Richie Smallwood has been at the heart of Rovers' midfield in every March fixture, with the 35-year-old starting to become a fan's favourite for his performances on the pitch.
Smallwood looks to cover every blade of grass for the Pirates, putting in big tackles and important interceptions whilst also looking to play the ball forward to get the Gas up the pitch, registering 68 passes into the final third across the last six matches.
Vote for your March Player Of The Month, sponsored by Christophe Duchamp, in the poll below!
