Next Up: Away to Bristol Rovers
City are on the road again on Wednesday night hoping to notch a third straight win which would put Paul Tisdale’s side into the automatic promotion places. With Mark Molesley set to miss the second of his three-match suspension, Tisdale may keep to the side which put Northampton to the sword on Saturday. This would mean a second successive start for teenager Jake Gosling, who capped a fine display with a magnificent solo effort, his first goal in City colours.
It’s fair to say that the experience of Bristol Rovers this season has been one to show up the benefits of changing manager mid-season. Under previous boss Mark McGhee the Gas couldn’t buy a win, but when John Ward got off his Plymouth-bound train a few stops early to instead become the new Rovers manager, their form has noticeably improved, and they currently sit 17th in the division – still not out of the woods by any means but certainly a strong contender to be still playing in League Two next season. One of the first things Ward did was to raid his previous club Colchester for midfielder John-Joe O’Toole on loan, and he has made a massive difference to the side’s fortunes. Another player to look out for will be Elliot Richards, who has just six goals but is in eye-catching form, while Dan Woodards will be out to make an impression against his former employers. Sadly Matt Gill is out for the season so won’t feature.
When the sides met earlier in the season it was at the start of City’s slump in form at the end of September, and what was predicted to be an easy City victory instead finished 2-1 to the visitors – Clarkson early on for Rovers, Cureton equalising for City before Richards netted the winner. City’s last visit to the Memorial Stadium was a happy one, though, a 2-0 win (Nardiello with both) heaping more misery on Rovers in their relegation season. Overall City hold the slight advantage in Football League meetings with 24 wins to 23 (26 draws).
Match Officials: http://www.exeweb.com/2013/03/04/match-officials-bristol-rovers-away/
Ground guide for away supporters at the Memorial Ground: http://www.exeweb.com/2012/06/17/the-things-you-need-to-know-memorial-ground/