Reasons to be Cheerful - Bristol Rovers

Argyle are unbeaten in six on the road, winning five and drawing once against Dagenham & Redbridge at the end of November. The Pilgrims have brought three points back home from Luton, York, Hartlepool, Newport and Carlisle, with our last away defeat in October. Argyle currently boast the best away record in the division, taking 29 points on the road.

Argyle's win against Carlisle was the Pilgrims ninth away victory of the season; only four times in Argyle's Football League history have the Greens bettered that, winning the league in 1929-30, 1951-52 and 2001-02 and finishing second in 1923-24. If the Pilgrims were to win at Rovers, they would match the ten wins of the 1923-24 and 1951-52 seasons.

In the history of Argyle vs Bristol Rovers, the Pilgrims have won 57, drawn 36 and lost 41 of the 124 games between the two clubs. Argyle's best ever result against the Pirates was a 5-0 hammering of Rovers at Home Park in 1961. George Kirby and Wilf Carter both scored twice and Peter Anderson also got on the the scoresheet to give Argyle a comfortable win.

In 2011, Argyle twice came back from 2-0 deficits at The Memorial Ground to run out victorious, winning 3-2 on both occasions. In January 11, Will Hoskins put Rovers 2-0 up after 11 minutes, but Bradley Wright-Phillips replied, Joe Mason equalised and an 81st minute header from Stephane Zubar gave the Pilgrims a memorable away victory. Eleven months later, lightning struck again. This time it was Matt Harrold scoring twice in quick succession just after the half-hour mark to put the Pirates two up. Warren Feeney and Nick Chadwick scored to level for Argyle, before Ashley Hemmings won the game for the Pilgrims in injury-time.