Town are back on home turf this weekend to round off October with a home clash against Bristol Rovers.
Simon Weaver's side head into Saturday's encounter still unbeaten at The Envirovent Stadium, having netted 16 times in seven home fixtures in the 2021/22 season.Our opponents
Rovers come into the game in 18th position in the table, with 15 points from 14 games and having lost seven of their fixtures to date in their first season back at this level since the 2015/16 season.
They have won once on their travels so far though, a 2-1 win at Walsall at the end of September, but do come into the game unbeaten in three on the road with a pair of draws from their past two outings.
The Man in Charge
Joey Barton is the man in the dugout for the Gas, his his second managerial job, having previously had a three-year spell in charge of League One side Fleetwood before departing in January 2021.
Just over a month later Barton took the Rovers job with the club deep in relegation trouble and is now looking to help them bounce back at the first attempt.
During his playing career Barton played for Manchester City, Newcastle, QPR, Marseille, Burnley and Rangers, also winning a single England cap
Ones to Watch
The most notable name amongst the Rovers line-up is that of James Belshaw, who was an integral part of Town's rise from National League North to the EFL during his time at the club before moving on this summer.
Unsurprisingly following relegation in 2020/21 there were a host of new faces brought into the club including Paul Coutts, Sam Finley and Harvey Saunders from Barton's former side Fleetwood.
Forward Aaron Collins, who shone for Forest Green Rovers last season, was added to bring some creativity to the ranks and the club added experience at the end of the window in Leon Clarke, Glenn Whelan and Antony Evans, who has added five assists in just 720 minutes of action.
Leading the scoring charts this season is 33-year old Brett Pitman, who arrived from Swindon Town in the summer.
History
The club was initially founded way back in 1883 and were first admitted to the Football League in 1920, entering in Third Division South where they would remain until achieving promotion in the early-1950's.
Rovers achieved a best ever finish of sixth-place in the 1956 and 1959, but were relegated in in 1962 before returning after the 1973/74 season. Further relegations were experienced before returning to the second tier in 1990 but after three seasons the club were once again relegated and suffered a drop to the bottom tier in 2001.
The 2013/14 season saw the Gas fall out of the league completely, but under the stewardship of Darrell Clarke the immediately returned via the playoffs.
For the majority of their history, Rovers played at the Eastville Stadium, before a move to Twerton Park in Bath for a decade in the mid-1990's before returning to the city and their current home the Mermorial Stadium, which they share with Bristol Rugby.
Team News
After missing the past two games through injury, it is hoped that Connor Hall will be fit to resume his place in the heart of Town's defence, along with midfielder Alex Pattision who missed the trip to Hartlepool. Town will still be without the services of long-term absentee Rory McArdle though.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online through the below link up until midnight the day before the fixture.
BUY TICKETS
Tickets are available in our Commercial Street Store during opening times, and up until kick-off on Saturday 30th October.
Tickets will be on sale from the ticket office window at The EnviroVent Stadium 9am - 11am on Saturday 30th October.
There will be no sales or collections on the gate on the day of the game.
Tickets are subject to availability, we advise booking online early to avoid disappointment.