Matt Taylor's Rovers side welcome The Shrews to BS7

 

October sees Rovers host Paul Hurst's Shrewsbury Town side, who have struggled thus far this season and will be hoping for a drastic up turn in form. In the summer, The Shrews bolstered their ranks with signings such as Leo Castledine on loan from Chelsea, Bradford City's Alex Gilliead, Charles Sagoe Jr on loan from Arsenal and Aston Villa's Josh Feeney.

 

Last season's meetings proved positive for The Gas, beating The Shrews 0-2 at Croud Meadow thanks to goals from John Marquis and Aaron Collins. The home fixture at The Mem ended with a 0-0 stalemate.


Founded in 1883, Bristol Rovers FC have experienced various successes and challenges over the years, from cup runs to ground moves. Rovers enjoyed their most fruitful period in the mid-20th century, including reaching the quarterfinals of the FA Cup in 1950 and securing various promotions.

 

The most significant of these successes came in 1952 when Rovers won the Third Division (South) title. In subsequent decades, Rovers fluctuated between different tiers of the football pyramid. The club moved to the Memorial Stadium in 1996, which has been its home since.

 

The club - whose supporters are known as ‘Gas Heads’ - climbed back up the Football League in the 2000s, but were disastrously relegated to non-league in 2014. However, this acted as nothing more than a reset and today the club sit in EFL League One and are managed by Matt Taylor.