Matt Taylor's Gas side host Blackpool
The Gas will welcome a true Premier League legend to The Mem in October in the shape of Blackpool manager, Steve Bruce. He's taken over an ambitious Seasiders side that signed the likes of Elliot Embleton, Elkan Baggott, and Hayden Coulson over the summer.
Last season's meetings both ended in disappointment with Blackpool running out 3-1 winners at Bloomfield Road thanks to goals from Ollie Norburn, Jake Beesley and Jordan Rhodes with John Marquis scoring for The Gas. Then, in January this year, Matt Taylor's men fell to a 1-2 defeat in Bristol; goals from CJ Hamilton and Karamoko Dembele put the away side two up and Chris Martin's lob gave home fans just a fleeting glimmer of hope.
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.