An opening day win is long overdue

Aug 10, 2024 | News

I find it hard to comprehend that the last Bristol Rovers manager to win a league game on the opening day of a new season is probably one of the least popular to have been in charge of the club this century.

Step forward Paul Buckle, who arrived in BS7 on the back of a fairly a successful four year stint in charge of Torquay United.

Current Rovers boss Matt Taylor will be hoping he can see Rovers over the line against Northampton Town for a first opening day win since Buckle’s side triumphed at AFC Wimbledon and a first home win on the opening day since 2001/02 when a Steve Foster goal was enough to see off Torquay United.

A crowd of over 10,000 were at the Memorial Stadium to see that game, which marked the return of Gerry Francis for his second stint as manager.

Mind you, the last time we were at home to Northampton on the opening day of a new campaign was in 2015/16 and you won’t be surprised to learn that The Cobblers returned home with all three points.

Buckle’s win at Kingsmeadow, then home to AFC Wimbledon, was probably as good as it got for him, but it was close! AFC were back in the league and playing their first game after reforming and starting all over again way down the Football Pyramid after the original Wimbledon became MK Dons and relocated to Milton Keynes, a move that still causes emotions to run high in the football world, especially when those two sides meet.

An early kick off, a capacity crowd and the game live on SKY meant that it was all set up for a win for the league’s new boys, but on this occasion, Rovers were party poopers, running out 3-2 winners.

First half goals from Scott McGleish and Matt Harrold gave Rovers a 2-0 lead, though the home side did pull a goal back before the break and drew level in the 68th minute, only for Adam Virgo to net Rovers’ winner from the penalty spot five minutes from time.

Buckle handed Rovers’ debuts to 11 players that afternoon, having made a number of summer signings, some of whom had followed him to Bristol from Torquay. However, his tenure in the hotseat was pretty much a disaster and there were few tears shed when he left the club after defeat at Barnet on 2nd January 2012.

To summarise, since the year 2000 our four opening day wins have been against Torquay United (2001/02), Scunthorpe United (2003/04), Mansfield Town (2004/05) and AFC Wimbledon (2011/12) while there have been draws against AFC Bournemouth (2000/01), Barnet (2005/06), Port Vale (2007/08), Grimsby Town (2014/15), Sunderland (2020/21) and Portsmouth (2023/24).

All of the other opening day games this century have ended in defeat, though it’s not all bad news because we have won four promotions in the period covered and not won on the opening day of any of those campaigns!

We have met Peterborough United on the opening day on three occasions during that time and lost every one of them!

Matt Taylor will be the thirteenth manager to take charge of a Rovers opening day fixture this millennium, following in the footsteps of Ian Holloway, Gerry Francis, Ray Graydon, Ian Atkins, Paul Trollope, Paul Buckle, Mark McGhee, John Ward, Darrell Clarke, Graham Coughlan, Ben Garner and Joe Barton.

Only Francis, Graydon, Atkins and Buckle have won opening day games since 2000 so let’s hope that Taylor will be in charge of an opening day win for the first time since 2011 when The Cobblers arrive at the Mem..

All may not be lost, though, as one member of Taylor’s management team, Wayne Carlisle, has won with Rovers on the opening day as he was in the side that triumphed at Glanford Park, Scunthorpe, back in 2003; I know, I know, I’m clutching at straws, but this terrible sequence has to end soon, surely!

We are long overdue another opening day victory, though if we lose and gain another promotion, I doubt if any of us will complain!