The Game
Bristol Rovers v Argyle. Memorial Stadium. Tuesday, 13 January. 7pm. Vertu Trophy Round of 16.
The Competition
Argyle came second in their qualifying group, beating Cheltenham Town 2-0 and Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s 6-2, before losing 1-0 to Bristol Rovers.
Coming second meant a second-round tie at Group F winners Leyton Orient, with Argyle winning 1-0 thanks to an injury-time winner by Lorent Tolaj.
Rovers, having won Argyle’s group, played at home to Cambridge United in the second round. The game finished 2-2, with Rovers winning the tie on penalties.
The Opposition
Bristol Rovers are 20th in Sky Bet League Two. They have 21 points from 24 games, having won six, drawn three, and lost 15.
Rovers, under Darrell Clarke at the time, lost their first three league games of this season, but picked up with a seven-match unbeaten run which included five wins. However, the form was about to go off a cliff.
The Gas lost the next ten league games in a row, which led to Clarke losing his job. He was replaced by Steve Evans. In his first game in charge, Evans led Rovers to a 1-1 draw at Crewe Alexandra, but then lost their next two. On New Year’s Day, Rovers picked up their first league win since the end of September, beating Shrewsbury Town 3-0 away from home.
The Gaffer
Steve Evans retired from playing football aged 24, having featured for a number of clubs in Scotland, including Albion Rovers and St Johnstone.
A string of non-league jobs led to being boss at Boston United, who he took from the Southern League to the EFL. After serving a suspension from football for breaking FA rules, Evans returned as Boston manager, before going to Crawley Town, who he also took into the EFL.
Over the years, Evans has taken charge of Rotherham United, Leeds United, Mansfield Town, Peterborough United, Gillingham and Stevenage. He returned to Rotherham in April 2024, but was sacked the following March. He was appointed at Bristol Rovers in December.
Previous Meetings
Rovers and Argyle met in the league phase of this season’s Vertu Trophy. It looked all set for a goalless draw, which would have led to Argyle winning the group, only for Rovers to score via Kamil Conteh in injury time, to take the game 1-0.
In 2022/23, the two sides were in the same group also. The game at Home Park finished 1-1, with Argyle winning a shoot-out. Later, the teams came together in the quarter-finals, with Argyle winning 2-0 at the Memorial Stadium.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their black away kit for the game.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage will begin with the Pre-Match Show at 6.40pm, with Charlie Price. Then, there will be commentary from the Memorial Stadium from Rob McNichol and former Argyle midfielder Chris Hargreaves.
Match passes to watch this game are available overseas. CLICK HERE for more information.
