Evil Post Match Report Goals from Ollie Clarke and David Clarkson saw Bristol Rovers get their Christmas programme off to a winning start with a deserved victory over Portsmouth at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon. Clarke aimed a sweetly-struck half-volley from the edge of the penalty area past Portsmouth goalkeeper Trevor Carson to score the first goal of his senior career after a Michael Smith cross had been cleared in the 40th minute. Clarkson, meanwhile, doubled the advantage with an angled drive in the 76th minute after latching onto Oliver Norburn’s sublime defence-splitting pass as Rovers earned reward for their increasing second-half dominance. John Ward’s side should have perhaps have added further goals that would have been worthy of an impressive team display; skipper Tom Parkes perhaps spurning the best opportunity to add another goal when aiming a free header over the crossbar instead after connecting with a Lee Brown corner. Clarkson had also gone close with a rasping drive from all of 20 yards that rattled away to safety off the crossbar in the 16th minute before forcing Portsmouth goalkeeper Trevor Carson into a stunning save from a deliciously curled free-kick during the opening exchanges of a second-half. Portsmouth had started the day the brighter of the two sides - Jed Wallace down the right-hand side forcing Steve Mildenhall into a low save after seeing a shot deflected off the shins of returning central defender Mark McChrystal - but pretty-much faded and were what can only be described as poor thereafter. Mildenhall, however, did have to be at his very best to repel what turned out to be Portsmouth’s best chance of the afternoon when striker Ryan Bird was given a free go from about eight yards following tricky work from Patrick Agyemang and Simon Ferry in the 26th minute when the scores were still level. Rovers, meanwhile, leapfrogged Portsmouth following the victory up to 18th place in League Two ahead of a trip to Torquay United on Boxing Day. Rovers (4-3-2-1): Mildenhall; Smith, Parkes, McChrystal, Brown; Clarke, Norburn, O’Toole; Richards, Clarkson; Harrold. Subs: Beardsley, Harrison, Harding, Gough, Santos, Keary, Southway. Portsmouth (4-4-2): Carson; Cooper (Moutaouaki, 73) N’Gala, Bradley, Painter; Wallace, Ferry, Ertl, Barcham (Holmes, 65); Bird (Connolly, 65), Agyemang. Subs: Sullivan, Devera, Padovani, Racon.
The Galleon There was to be no festive cheer this weekend as Portsmouth succumbed to yet another league loss, as a lacklustre performance saw them lose 2-0 to Bristol Rovers. A goal in each half saw Rovers leapfrog Pompey up the table, leaving the Blues just three spaces above the precarious relegation zone. Roversâ Ollie Clarke saw the hosts take the lead shortly before the break, after a somewhat uneventful half that neither side looked keen to dominate. His 25 yard strike put the hosts in the lead after an outstretched Trevor Carson failed to get to the relentless strike. Likewise, David Clarkson doubled the lead in the 77th minute, after his right-footed shot from the left side of the box once again trickled past the Pompey keeper. The loss is now Richie Barkers second defeat since taking over last week, after losing 0-2 to Newport County at Fratton Park, but it goes without saying that the problem clearly lies with Portsmouthâs squad. A lacklustre performance and a clear lack of pride to wear the shirt has seen Portsmouth repeatedly falter against teams that should have been easy-picking for the boys in blue. Speaking to BBC Radio Solent after the game, Barker said, âSome of those players have to recognise how fortunate they are to play for Portsmouth Football Club. âTheyâve got ten days to save their Portsmouth careers. There are a lot of problems and it needs sorting out very quickly.â With the transfer window looming, it seems apparent that a reshuffling of the squad is an absolute necessity if Portsmouth want to avoid yet another consecutive relegation. Richie Barker said, âWe need to get people in that are proud to play for Portsmouth FC and are going to do the right things.â Portsmouthâs next fixture is on Boxing Day when they host 10th in the league Dagenham & Redbridge at Fratton Park. Portsmouth FC have seen a major fall from grace after hitting financial difficulties in 2009. Having been relegated from the Premier League, they have since relegated to the Championship and League One all the way down to League Two where they sit now, albeit precariously closely to the drop-zone once again.
last time we won the game before xmas day was the same season we last won promotion 2006/07 season. we beat accrington 4-0 at home with goals from walker x2, elliott and nicholson. 7 seasons ago.
last time we won a boxing day game was 2005/06 season when we beat shrewsbury 2-1 goals from disley and agogo
ROCHDALE TICKET NEWS Pay on the day Tickets for Rovers' trip to Rochdale will be available to purchase on the day. Rovers travel up to the Spotland Stadium on Sunday, December 29th (kick off 3pm). Tickets in the Willbutts Lane Stand are priced at £20 for adults, £14 for 65+ and U21s and £5 for U16s. Those under 21 must buy their ticket from the ticket office and provide photographic ID.
Previous visits to Torquay: September 2003 - Torquay 2-1 Rovers - Believe it or not, Rovers would have gone top of Division Three had they won this game, but it was in fact downhill from here. Kevin Street scored his last goal for Rovers to give us hope, but we couldn't find an equaliser after David Graham and Craig Taylor put Torquay 2-0 up. August 2005 - Torquay 2-3 Rovers - What. a. comeback. It was our first win of the 2005/06 season and it came after the Gulls had looked set to take a comfortable victory after Matt Hewlett's 70th minute strike made it 2-0, adding to Leon Constantine's goal in the first half. But sensationally, Junior Agogo's brace brought us level with three minutes left, and there was still time for substitute Richard Walker to curl home the winner from just inside the box. September 2006 - Torquay 0-0 Rovers - Both sides largely cancelled each other out here. James Hunt's sending off for two yellow cards was the main incident of note. March 2012 - Torquay 2-2 Rovers - This was frustrating. Two fine goals had given us a 2-0 lead with 20 minutes to go as Matt Harrold found the top corner from a partially deflected 25-yard shot, before Chris Zebroski ran almost the full length of the field to shoot low into the corner. However, we allowed Torquay to quickly get back into the game as Lee Mansell scored from close range. The same player was on hand to salvage a point for the hosts in stoppage time as his shot looped over Scott Bevan. April 2013 - Torquay 3-3 Rovers - Rovers were twice in front on the last game of last season as Tom Hitchcock scored his third and last goal for the club and Ryan Jarvis scored a bizarre own goal after Elliott Benyon had equalised. Jarvis soon made amends for his error by scoring at the other end, and Benyon capitalised on more poor defending to put them ahead for the first time in the game. Matt Harrold came on towards the end and grabbed the equaliser on his comeback from injury, beating Michael Poke to loose ball and heading in. Despite that late goal, Torquay's draw was enough to keep them in the Football League.
Both teams are improving, but I reckon we'll be too strong for the Gulls if the likes of Clarkson continue their upturn in form. 2-1 to the Gas, Clarkson and O'Toole.
The last three games at Torquay have been draws and before that a 3-2 victory to The Gas we haven't lost at Torquay for ten years. I'm going to stick with my draw but I will change it to a score draw 2-2 or maybe 1-1
Manager on the Christmas period John Ward was delighted with the fitness and performance of his players on Saturday. Despite playing a tough game on Wednesday, the side responded fantastically well and put in a top performance against Portsmouth at the weekend, to take all three points. He said: “I am really pleased, and the fitness levels of the boys pleased us as much as anything. “We played Wednesday, instead of Tuesday, and the conditions we had to endure were tough, but I thought we handled it really well, and the outcome was great. “We are ok, a couple of boys need a little bit of recovery time, but nothing massive. ”Mark McChrsytal hasn’t played for eight weeks, and he comes in and put in an excellent performance. “He is a top professional, and we will look after him today, but I have spoken to him and there are no repercussions whatsoever.” The club now go into the busy festive period, with Torquay first up on Boxing Day. John said: “I will have full respect for Torquay, and we will have to play well again. Our present form suggests that we can and that is something we have to work hard to replicate. “If we have a disappointment at Torquay, similar to that we had at Morecambe, we could slip back down again. “It is really tight, and really close, and anyone who can collect a few points over this Christmas period is going to be lifted up the table a little bit. “What we don’t have is that game on January 4th in the league anymore, so the two away games coming up are going to be very important.” And the manager would like to wish the fans a Merry Christmas. He said: “I would like to think we gave the home fans an early Christmas present on Saturday. I cannot speak highly enough of them. “We discuss everything with them, they know everything that is going on, and they have supported us throughout. “I thought Saturday was a real collective for Bristol Rovers, both on and off the pitch. ”I am sure they will be at Torquay in their numbers, and we have to do our best for them.”
GET YOUR TORQUAY TICKETS IN ADVANCE Tickets available until 11am tomorrow. Fans have until 11am tomorrow to purchase tickets for Bristol Rovers' festive visit to Torquay. The match on Boxing Day (KO 1pm) is all ticket for visiting supporters, so please do not travel without purchasing a ticket. Tickets will be available at our Supporters Club shop in Kingswood until 5pm today, and until 11am at Pirate Leisure at the Memorial Stadium. Rovers have been allocated 970 terrace tickets for the game and almost 500 seated tickets for the game on Boxing Day. Tickets in the away terrace are priced at £19 for adults, £14 for 65+ and NUS holders, £11 for 17-18 year olds, £7 for 11-16 year olds and £6 for U11s. Seats in the Bristow’s Bench area are priced at £23 for adults, £18 for 65+ and NUS holders, £11 for 17-18 year olds, £7 for 11-16 year olds and £6 for U11s. Coach spaces are still available priced at £13. The coaches will leave from Kingswood at 9am and the Memorial Stadium at 9.30am.
Last time Rovers won both the game before xmas & the game on Boxing day was in the 1999/00 season when we beat Stoke 2-1 & Millwall 1-0.
Torquay United Info please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Founded:1899 Team Nickname: The Gulls Address: Plainmoor, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3PS Capacity: 6,500 (Seats 2,950) Year Ground Opened: 1921 Main Telephone No: 01803 328 666 Fax No: 01803 323 976 Home Kit Colours: Yellow With Blue Trim Away Kit Colours: Black With Yellow Trim Shirt Sponsors: Sparkworld Ltd Kit Manufacturers: Sondico Official Web Site: www.torquayunited.com Unofficial Web Sites: http://www.barnstaplegulls.co.uk/ http://www.torquayunited.net/ Tickets: The match on Boxing Day (KO 1pm) is all ticket for visiting supporters, so please do not travel without purchasing a ticket. Tickets will be available until 11am at Pirate Leisure at the Memorial Stadium. Tickets in the away terrace are priced at £19 for adults, £14 for 65+ and NUS holders, £11 for 17-18 year olds, £7 for 11-16 year olds and £6 for U11s. Seats in the Bristowâs Bench area are priced at £23 for adults, £18 for 65+ and NUS holders, £11 for 17-18 year olds, £7 for 11-16 year olds and £6 for U11s. How To Get There: At the end of the M5 follow the A38 and then turn left onto the A380. On reaching Kingskerwell, take the first exit at the large roundabout onto the A3022 towards Torquay. After one mile turn left towards Babbacombe (signposted Babbacombe (A379)). After 1 mile turn left into Westhill Road for Warbro Road. Torquay United is signposted on nearing the ground. Street parking. For full directions click here SatNav: TQ1 3PS Distance: 101 miles Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes Away Facilities: Away supporters are housed in the Marsh Toyota Away Stand, at one end of the ground. The terrace is covered and the acoustics are good. There is also away seating in the Bristows Bench Stand. Last visit: Rovers last visit to Plainmoor was at the end of last season. Matt Harrold returned from injury to come off the subs bench and get the last minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw.
Torquay have on-loan forward Jayden Stockley available after recovering from a pulled calf muscle in training. Forward Jordan Chapell should be back having been out with a toe problem. Bristol Rovers defender Tom Lockyer returns after serving a one-match suspension following his fifth booking of the season. Defender Mark McChrystal played the last game after tendinitis and should continue but midfielder Seanan Clucas remains sidelined with a knee problem. VIEWS FROM THE TRAINING GROUND Bristol Rovers manager John Ward told BBC Radio Bristol: "Alan Knill [Torquay boss] has had two 1-0 wins and he's saying they've got to make it count. "They see us as a picking and fine, so they should. They've got the home game. "But quietly they will be looking and thinking we've not done too bad. "It's going to be a difficult game for them."
John Ward has labelled his side's festive fixture schedule a "crazy situation" – but is still backing his improving side to "get on with it" as they bid to make progress up the league over the Christmas period. Rovers will attempt to build on a 2-0 win over Portsmouth at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday when they go to Torquay United on Boxing Day – but then face a long road trip to Spotland to face Rochdale on Sunday. "It is a crazy situation," said Ward, who is also less-than-pleased with an early kick-off at Plainmoor (1pm). "I'm not sure how much further apart we could get, which makes it kind of ridiculous in that sense. We were also on the road over Christmas last year, so where is the fair play in that? "That said, we will go and work hard and get on with it because we have known about these fixtures for some time. "We are in a good frame of mind following our win over Portsmouth on Saturday, and we'll have to replicate that performance in our next couple of games if we are to make progress. "I have full respect for both of the teams we will play this week and we know we'll have to play well on both occasions, but our present form suggests we can. "We missed an opportunity (to make progress up the league) when we lost at Morecambe earlier this month and we got going again with a win over Portsmouth, but if we fail to follow that up at Torquay we would slip out of it again. "It is so tight down there that anyone who can string a few positive results together over this period can really shift up that table." Ward welcomes youngster Tom Lockyer back following a one-game suspension, but could opt to keep Mark McChrystal alongside Tom Parkes at the heart of defence. McChrystal played for the first time in almost three months after returning from a bout of tendonitis, and Ward said: "I was concerned I may only get 60 or 70 minutes out of him, but Mark didn't even wilt once. "He wanted to give it a go and put himself on the line and was a really strong presence in our back line. "I think Mark feels confident that he can do another game on Thursday if we need him to do that, and that is more important than what I think." Ward had words of praise for midfielder Oliver Norburn following his man-of-the-match display in the win over Portsmouth on Saturday. The 21-year-old has only recently been returned to the starting line-up following a spell on the bench, and Ward said: "His performance against Portsmouth was as good as I've seen from him since I have been here. "I think there was a maturity in his performance on Saturday in that he made good decisions over when and when not to play those sorts of riskier passes. He has had a tendency in the past to be a little extravagant in his passing now and again, which is fine if you do that in the right areas. "The ball he played through to set David Clarkson up for the second goal was a match-winning pass and we all know that he can do that. "He is young and we sometimes forget that he is still learning how to win football matches. "It doesn't always have to be pretty, it sometimes has to be effective. "He has played a big part in our recent run of form and if he maintains his level of performance, he stays in the team, it's as simple as that."
