Yesterday we looked at the one player who made his Rovers league debut on Christmas Day; now it’s time to look at those who have made their debuts on Boxing Day and there are nine names on that list.
First up is John Pattison who made his Rovers league debut on Boxing Day 1922.
Pattison was born in County Durham on 10th April 1897 and joined Rovers in September 1922, making his Boxing Day debut that year, against Exeter City, which ended in a 3-3 draw at Eastville.
It was the first of 13 league games in a Rovers shirt for the left winger, his only goal for the club coming in a game against Portsmouth, at Fratton Park, in October 1923 though he was a prolific marksman for the reserve side and scored 19 goals for them in 1923/24.
Pattison left Rovers in June 1924 and returned to the north east for a while. He went on to rejoin one of his former clubs, Durham City, before moving back down to this part of the world and turning out for, among others, Torquay United, (whom he helped win the Southern League title) Bath City, Frenchay United, Glastonbury and Warminster Town.
John William Pattison, the 44th player to represent Rovers in league football, died in Bristol on 11th April 1970, one day after his 73rd birthday.
The second of the nine is Ronald Green, a left winger who was born on 12th March 1912 in Frampton Cotterell, near Bristol.
He joined Bath City in October 1929 and signed for Rovers in June 1932 and his Rovers league debut came in a 1-0 away win at Aldershot, the first of his 22 league appearances for the club.
He scored twice in those games, against Clapton Orient and Swindon Town, both in March 1933 and although he joined Arsenal in July of that year, he never made a first team appearance for them.
He later played in 36 league games for Notts County, three for Charlton Athletic and eight for Swansea Town.
He ended his playing days with Coalpit Heath and was elected to their committee in July 1946.
Ronald Clarence George Green, the 180th player to appear for Rovers in league football, passed away on 16th October 1979 in Cadbury Heath.
Next up is Norman Sykes, born in Bristol on 16th October 1936, he played for Bristol Boys and signed for Rovers in May 1952, turning professional in October the following year.
His Rovers league debut came in a 6-1 home win against Bury, just 24 hours after Rovers had lost 7-2 against the same opponents, at Gigg Lane.
He went on to play league football for Rovers in eight consecutive seasons, scoring five goals in 214 league games for the club.
He later played in Canada, briefly for Plymouth Argyle, made 52 appearances for Stockport County and 15 for Doncaster Rovers. He also played for Altrincham and Wigan Athletic and opened a teetotal nightclub in Manchester in 1975.
Norman Albert John Sykes died in Hillingdon on 9th December 2009 at the age of 73. He was the 328th player to make his Rovers league debut.
Next on the list is Harold Jarman, a true Rovers legend, who made his debut on Boxing Day 1959 in a 3-1 home win against Swansea Town (as they were at that time).
The 345th player to make his Rovers league bow was born in Bristol on 4th May 1939 and joined Rovers in August 1959 and went on to score an astonishing 127 goals in his 452 league appearances for the club. Astonishing, because he wasn’t a striker, but an out and out right winger.
Probably one of the most popular players to pull on a Rovers shirt, Jarman could, and probably should, have played at a higher level.
He was awarded a testimonial match against Liverpool in April 1970 and remained a Rovers player for a further three years. Joining Newport County in May 1973, he appeared in 40 league games for them before joining New York Cosmos in 1974.
On his return to these shores he coached or managed a number of local clubs, including Mangotsfield United, Bath City and Portway Bristol as well as spending time as Chief Scout for Blackburn Rovers.
The lure of the Rovers of Bristol always drew him back, though. A stint as Youth Team Manager was followed by a spell as caretaker manager of the first team, becoming the first Bristol born manager of the club.
Later he was, at various times, Youth Team Coach, Reserve Team Coach, U-13 Coach and Chief Scout. But football was not the only sport he excelled at.
Jarman was an accomplished cricketer and appeared in 45 County Championship matches for Gloucestershire and played club cricket for many years. Golf, too, is a big sporting passion of the man who served Rovers so well over the course of many years.
Harold lives in Bristol and still manages to attend the occasional game and functions organized by the Former Players Association.
Moving on, we come to Carl Gilbert, whose Boxing Day debut in 1969, against Reading was the first of his 45 league games for Rovers. The 406th Rovers player to make a league appearance for the club, also contributed 15 goals whilst at Eastville.
Born in Folkestone on 20th March 1948, Gilbert signed for Gillingham in 1965 and it was from them that he signed for Rovers, in November 1969, in an exchange deal that saw Ken Ronaldson move in the opposite direction.
94 league games and 37 goals for Rotherham United followed after leaving Rovers in March 1971 and he later played for Margate, Thanet United and Folkestone, as well as spending time as a coach at Canterbury City, Herne Bay and Folkestone.
Carl Graham Gilbert continues to live, we believe, in the Folkestone area.
Born in Swansea, on 1st December 1954, Gary Emmanuel played for Swansea Boys before signing for Birmingham City in July 1971.
He joined Rovers, on loan, in December 1978, making his debut on Boxing Day in a 1-0 away win against Crystal Palace. The move to Eastville became permanent in January 1979, with a fee of £50,000 involved.
His Rovers career took in 65 league games and two goals and in July 1981 he joined Swindon Town in an exchange deal that saw Brian Williams come to Rovers. A Swindon career took in 115 league games and he later played for Newport County (12 appearances), Bristol City (two games), Forest Green Rovers, Swansea City (111 games) Merthyr Tydfil, and Ton Pentre. There were also managerial stints with Llanelli and Haverfordwest County.
John Gareth Emmanuel, whose father scored three penalties against Rovers, for Swansea, in the 1947/48 season, was the 454th player to appear for Rovers in league football.
Goakeeper Ray Cashley, born in Bristol on 23rd October 1951, appeared in 227 league games for our nearest and dearest rivals, Bristol City between September 1970 and January 1981 and was in goal when they played Arsenal, at Highbury, in their first game following promotion to the top flight of English football in in 1976.
He was sent on loan to Hereford United in 1981 and later spent a short time with Clevedon Town before joining Rovers in August 1982, though he didn’t make his league debut for the club until Boxing Day 1983, in a 2-1 defeat at Oxford United.
He became the 494th player to appear in league football for Rovers and the Oxford game was the first of 53 league games for the club.
On leaving Eastville he appeared in nine games for Chester as they clinched promotion from the Fourth Division and signed for Weston suoer Mare in 1988, going on to become the club’s lottery manager.
A testimonial match for Cashley, who still lives in Bristol, was played in July 2024 between a Bristol City XI and a Weston super Mare XI.
Scott Sinclair, the current Rovers captain, made a Boxing Day debut in 2004, at The Memorial Stadium, in a 1-1 draw. By that time, he had scored 25 goals for the club’s U-16 side and his short time on the pitch in his debut meant that, at 15 years and 277 days old he was the second youngest player to appear for the club.
Born in Bath on 29th March 1989, Sinclair made one more substitute appearance before being snapped up by Chelsea, the transfer fee being decided by a tribunal. There were, though, only five league games for the Stamford Bridge club and he was sent out on loan to Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic before making a permanent switch to Swansea City in August 2010.
Two years later he joined Manchester City, played for West Bromwich Albion on loan and signed for Aston Villa after another loan spell, in May 2015. It was from Villa Park that he joined Scottish giants Celtic, in August 2016 and he won several major hours during his time in Scotland.
From there it was on to Preston North End, in January 2020 and Joe Barton brought him back to the club where it all began, in October 2022.
Now proudly wearing the captain’s armband, Sinclair’s appearance against Wrexham the Saturday before Christmas was the 76th time he has represented the club in league football after becoming the 735th player to do so back in 2004.
The final name on the list is Kayne McLaggon, who was sent on as an 89th minute substitute in Rovers Boxing Day game against Plymouth Argyle in 2011 which ended in a 3-2 defeat at The Memorial Stadium.
Mclaggon, born in Barry on 21st September 1990, had signed professional forms for Southampton in September 2007 and went on to appear in seven league games for them before a move to Rovers in October 2010 following a loan move to Eastbourne Borough and a short time with Salisbury City.
Rovers loaned him to Tonbridge Angels for a short time after he arrived at The Mem. He sustained a serious hamstring injury in March 2012 which signalled the end of his brief Rovers career and also threatened to end his playing career.
However, he recovered and joined Weston super Mare in September 2012, joined Merthyr Tydfil in October 2013 and Barry Town United in August 2017. He scored their 1,000th goal in the Welsh League and also represented the club in the Europa League.
McLaggon, the 822nd player to represent Rovers in league football, continues to play for Barry Town United.
As you can see, from the photos reproduced here, Harold Jarman and Scott Sinclair have received their caps commemorating their Rovers league debut. We would like to make sure that the other seven players on our Boxing Day list of debuts, or their families, receive their caps.
We don’t always have contact details for players, so if anyone is in touch with players or relatives of the players mentioned or, indeed, any other former Rovers player, please contact us.
secretary@bristolroverssc.co.uk