Saturday 28 February 2012
npower League 2
Bristol Rovers vs Bradford City
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at the Memorial Stadium
Match Officials:
Referee: C Sarginson
Assistant Referee: D Eaton
Assistant Referee: N Radford
Fourth Official: T Wood
Pirates vs Bantams - Squad News
Bantams team news
New loan signing Will Atkinson is expected to go straight into City's travelling squad for this weekend's trip to Bristol Rovers.
Atkinson is also likely to be joined in the squad by fellow winger Kyel Reid, who has enjoyed a problem-free week back on the training ground following his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Luke Oliver - another recent hamstring victim - most probably won't be making the journey south, however.
It is believed that City will err on the side of caution with the giant defender and keep him up in Yorkshire to ensure he is fit for selection for next weekend's home match with Crawley Town.
Simon Ramsden is another player set to miss out on the match after a recent x-ray on his broken toe revealed that the bone is still in the process of healing.
With this in mind, it seems that City will be without their reliable right back for at least the next two weeks.
Michael Flynn is said to be making good progress building his fitness levels back up after returning back to the training ground for the first time this week following a month-long battle with a stomach virus.
All being well, it is hoped Flynn may be strong enough to take part in either the Crawley fixture or the match at AFC Wimbledon that week after that.
After both featuring in the reserves' match at Middlesbrough on Tuesday, two players pushing for starting berths this weekend will be David Syers and Deane Smalley.
Syers is now free from suspension following his three match ban for his recent Shrewsbury Town red card, while Smalley will be eyeing up his full City debut after enjoying his first action in City colours as a second half substitute against Burton Albion last weekend.
Bristol Rovers team news
New Pirates boss Mark McGhee could well be set to stick with the same starting eleven for this Saturday after watching his side win at promotion-chasing Cheltenham Town on his debut as manager last weekend.
Club captain Matt Gill is pushing for a recall, however, on McGhee's first home game in charge after recently recovering from knee surgery.
Striker Scott McGleish could also get the nod to partner Chris Zebroski in attack after replacing Joe Anyinsah with less than an hour gone against Cheltenham.
Rovers duo Gary Sawyer (hamstring) and Lee Brown (calf) will need pre-match fitness checks, but the pair should be fit enough to feature.
McGhee will definitely have to do without Mustapha Carayol and Matt Harrold though.
Rovers winger Carayol has missed the Pirates' last three fixtures with a groin problem picked up during their F.A Cup with Budweiser tie with Aston Villa and this Saturday's match is expected to come too soon for him.
Top scorer Harrold has been sidelined with an ankle injury for the last month or so but he could be back in contention for Rovers from next week.
Apart from Harrold and Carayol, the Pirates' other main fitness concerns are over long term injury duo Adam Virgo (knee) and Wayne Brown (ankle).
Last time out
Saturday 21 January 2012
npower League 2
Bradford City 1 (Davies 43)
Burton Albion 1 (Yussuff 85)
Bantams line up
McLaughlin, Kozluk, Davies, Bullock, Seip, Fagan, Ravenhill, Jones, Haworth, Wells (Smalley 72), Hanson
Subs not used: Duke, Taylor, Hannah, Mitchell
Burton line up
Atkins, Driver, Parkes, Stanton, Austin, Taylor (Palmer 73), McGrath (Gurrieri 78), Bolder, Maghoma, Richards (Yussuff 61), Zola
Subs not used: Poole, Corbett
Saturday 21 January 2012
npower League 2
Cheltenham Town 0
Bristol Rovers 2 (Zebroski 60, Richards 63)
Cheltenham line up
Brown, Jombati, Bennett, Lowe, Garbutt, Spencer, Penn (McGlashan 58), Pack, Summerfield, Mohamed (Smikle 82), Duffy (Goulding 59)
Subs not used: Low, Hooman
Bristol Rovers line up
Poke, Woodwards, Bolger, Downes, Sawyer, Richards, Stanley, Dorman, L Brown, Anyinsah (McGleish 52), Zebroski
Subs not used: Cronin, Anthony, Smith, Gill
Bristol Rovers' starting formation vs Cheltenham Town
POKE
WOODWARDS DOWNES BOLGER SAWYER
RICHARDS STANLEY DORMAN L BROWN
ANYINSAH ZEBROSKI
Bristol Rovers' previous home match
Saturday 14 January 2012
npower League 2
Bristol Rovers 0
Crawley Town 0
The Bantams' previous visit to Bristol Rovers
Tuesday 2 April 1996
Engsleigh Division Two
Bristol Rovers 1 (Beadle)
Bradford City 0
Earlier this season
Saturday 10 September 2011
npower League 2
Bradford City 2 (Flynn pen 64, pen 90)
Bristol Rovers 2 (Harrold 40, Richards 78)
Bradford City 2 Bristol Rovers 2 - match report
Bantams line up
Duke, Branston, Oliver, Mitchell (Hannah 61), Moore (Stewart 84), Threlfall, Flynn, Jones, Reid (Compton 70), Devitt, Hanson
Subs not used: McLaughlin, Hunt
Bristol Rovers line up
Bevan, Woodwards, Bolger, L Brown, Virgo, Campbell, Gill (Anthony 51), W Brown, Harrold, McGleish (Anyinsah 64), Richards
Subs not used: Smith, Carayol, Zebroski
Form guide (league and cup)
Bantams - WWLLDD
Bristol Rovers - LLLWDW
For a full list of Bristol Rovers' 2011/2012 fixtures and results please click HERE.
Recent Bristol Rovers news
Gill eyes comeback
Carayol hoping to be back from injury soon
Brown looking to settle a score with the Bantams
Downes planning to extend Pirates stay
They Say
Steve Parkin
"We have prepped up on their team as normal and we will have prepared for this match as normal. Obviously, Mark (McGhee) has come in and seems to have given them a bit of a boost. They (Bristol Rovers) got a great result at Cheltenham, so they'll be full of confidence going into the match. We will be too though, and we have to make sure we are mentally and physically ready for the challenges Mark's side will throw at us. It will be a good test for us, but it is one that I believe we are more than capable of coping with now."
Lee Brown, Bristol Rovers defender/midfielder
"Everyone here thinks we owe them (Bradford City) one. We felt very hard done-by in the changing room afterwards (the first meeting back in September) because we didn't think either of them were penalties. But that's football, and hopefully we might get a few decisions go our way this weekend."
npower League 2 fixtures this weekend (all 3:00pm kick offs unless stated)
Saturday 28 January 2012
Accrington Stanley vs Gillingham
AFC Wimbledon vs Aldershot Town
Barnet vs Crewe Alexandra
Bristol Rovers vs Bradford City
Dagenham & Redbridge vs Rotherham United
Hereford United vs Shrewsbury Town (1:00pm)
Macclesfield Town vs Cheltenham Town
Port Vale vs Plymouth Argyle
Torquay United vs Northampton Town
Sunday 29 January 2012
Burton Albion vs Oxford United
