The last time The Imps hosted today’s opponents Bristol Rovers was on Saturday 10th October. Lewis Montsma put City ahead less than a minute into the second half, but just a couple of minutes later James Daly made it 1-1. Adam Jackson gave away a penalty for a foul on Brandon Hanlan and a minute later he made no mistake from 12 yards, securing all three points for the visitors.
Ahead of today’s match (you can join our match thread HERE), we have done a Q&A with a Bristol Rovers supporter, so thank you to Ollie for answering our questions!
NEW QUIZ: Bristol Rovers (h): Last Time At Sincil Bank: We have also published a quiz about the last time the two sides met at Sincil Bank, which can be found HERE, or at the bottom of the page!
How long have you supported Bristol Rovers?
My dad started taking me to The Mem when I was 6/7 and I’m 30 next week. Cheers dad.
Where did you finish last season?
Third in L2, securing the final automatic promotion spot on the final day of the season with an incredible 7-0 win against Scunthorpe United. Still can’t believe that actually happened.
What do you think of your manager?
Despite us currently going through a bit of a sticky spell and his outspoken nature being a bit tiresome at times, Barton has undoubtedly done a fantastic job since taking over in February 2021. Having said that, we’re effectively exactly where we expect to be as a club (mid-table L1), so the real test of him as a coach will be whether he can get us challenging to get out of L1 at the right end one day.
What were/are your hopes and expectations for the 2022/23 season?
My hopes at the start of the season were to stabilise ourselves back in L1 whilst bloodying the noses of some of the bigger boys in the division. I think a lot of us got a bit carried away after a good run of form before Xmas and dared to dream about a Play-Off spot, but having lost our last three to three struggling sides, we’ve certainly been brought back down to earth!
One(s) to watch?
*Obvious answer alert* Aaron Collins. The boy has already hit double figures in goals and assists this season having done the same last season in L2, and will almost certainly become a Championship player in the summer (just not with us!). He’s a #9, #10 and tricky winger in one player.
Which teams do you think will finish in the top six in League One?
Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich, Derby, Bolton, and Wycombe.
Which teams do you think will finish in the bottom four in League One?
Forest Green Rovers, Cambridge United, Accrington Stanley, and Burton Albion.
What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?
Less favourable after the 3-6 battering at our place earlier in the season! In all seriousness, I’ve always had a soft spot for Lincoln – mainly because our Play-Off semis against each other in 2006/07 are one of my earliest proper memories as a Gashead.
What do you think the score will be?
1-1. Having lost our last three and shipping nine in the process, I can see Barton going ‘back to basics’ a bit and making us harder to beat in this one.
Random fact about your Club?
Our supporters ‘stole’ our club anthem Goodnight Irene off Plymouth Argyle back in the 50s/60s.
If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?
As we don’t have a senior CB in our squad this season, probably O’Connor or Jackson. Our defence is sorely lacking a more experienced CB with a bit of nous to help the youngsters we have through games.
What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Bristol Rovers supporter?
Proudest – the way our club is supporting our left back Nick Anderton, who was diagnosed with cancer back in the summer and undergoing chemotherapy. Our squad and staff members shaved their heads recently to raise funds for Nick & his family, which was a brilliant gesture.
Most embarrassing – how long have you got?! Just search for ‘Bristol Rovers Santa’s Grotto’ on Google Images. That probably takes some topping.
Who would you say is your most underrated player?
Sam Finley. Admittedly not in good form at the moment and is banned from our next three matches for violent conduct, but on his day he’s a superb little player and it’s surprising he’s never played for a top-end L1/lower Championship club.
Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?
The relationship between our Supporters Club and the football club hasn’t always been the strongest over the last few years, although a few bridges seem to have been built recently. The SC certainly doesn’t have the influence it used to, but they do have two representatives as Fans Directors on the board of the football club.
Which was your favourite match involving Bristol Rovers?
The 2-1 home win over Dagenham & Redbridge on the final day of the 2015/16 season, when Rovers scored in the 92nd minute to secure automatic promotion to L1. The post-match celebrations poured out onto the streets of Bristol and lasted well into the night!
Which was your least favourite match involving Bristol Rovers?
The 1-0 final day home defeat vs. Mansfield Town in 2013/14 to relegate us out of the Football League for the first time in 94 years. All we needed is a point to stay up and I’ll never know how we didn’t score in that game. Plus, they were wearing our away kit after forgetting the bring theirs!
Joey Barton has divided opinion since he was appointed and still lacks support in some quarters despite winning promotion last season; why do you think that is?
It’s fair to say that Barton’s a marmite character and a percentage of our fanbase will never warm to him no matter what he goes on to achieve on the pitch. His (at times outrageous) comments in pre and post-match interviews can at times get the fans’ backs up and the off-field controversies that surrounded him in his first 18 months at the club lost him many supporters.
What happened with Bobby Thomas? A strange sequence of events.
If you believe the rumours, then Thomas asked to be recalled from his loan spell at Rovers after Barton slated him and the rest of our defence in the press after one of our recent defeats. He seems to have started well at Barnsley having been loaned out to them almost immediately after being recalled, but he was a bit of a bomb scare for us and most fans weren’t disappointed to see him go.
Plans for a new stadium seem to have been around forever. What is the current position, and can you see it happening any time soon?
The current position is – I’ll believe it when I’m sat in it. Which is the position of pretty much every Gashead after so many false dawns over the years where a new stadium is concerned! The club desperately need a new stadium if we want to realise the potential we all feel that we have, but who knows when/if that will ever happen. If there is anything going on in the background, then it’s certainly being kept very hush-hush.
What is the story with Harry Anderson? Many Lincoln fans were surprised we released him, but he hasn’t featured much this season.
He was probably one of our unsung heroes of last season’s promotion, taking part in the majority of games and playing in pretty much every position other than goalkeeper! Unfortunately. a string of injuries have meant he’s never really got going this season, and personally I’m not convinced he’s got the quality to be at a promotion-chasing L1 club, but his work rate and versatility is invaluable and he seems like a cracking lad.
Who Are Ya? – @Official_BRFC (Supporter Q&A & Quiz):https://t.co/q5VVK82WTZ#ImpsAsOne #WeAreImps #BristolRovers
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) February 11, 2023
