Supporters Club Director Helen Wigmore was kept busy presenting caps at the Charity game between Rovers and City last week; we’ve already posted photos of three of those presentations, now it’s time for five more.
Lee Brown should need no introduction to Gasheads, given his memorable goal in the final game of the 2015/16 season, against Dagenham & Redbridge at The Mem. It sealed a 2-1 win and promotion to League One, two years after he had been in the side relegated to The Conference.
His career began with Queens Park Rangers, but after only one substitute league appearance he was loaned out to Salisbury and to Hayes & Yeading United before a permanent move to The Memorial Stadium in June 2011.
His league debut for Rovers came against AFC Wimbledon on 6th August that year, when a 3-2 win was achieved in Paul Buckle’s first match in charge and Brown was the 809th player to represent the club in league football.
It was the first of 242 league games in a Rovers shirt and that day in 2016 was his second promotion with the club as he scored in the penalty shootout at Wembley a year before as Rovers returned to the Football League after beating Grimsby in the Conference Final.
He moved on to Portsmouth in June 2018, where he chalked up another 111 league appearances and then it was on to AFC Wimbledon where he wound up his career with another 68 league games.
Goalkeeper Will Puddy had one league game under his belt with Cheltenham Town, and non league experience with a number of clubs before he signed for Rovers on 11th August 2015.
He made 15 appearances in our season in The Conference and completed the play off final against Grimsby at Wembley apart from the last few minutes when he was replaced by Steve Mildenhall for the penalty shootout.
His league debut for the club came on 19th December 2015 when Rovers were 3-0 winners against Dagenham & Redbridge and he became the 875th Rovers player to appear in league football for the club.
All told, there were just eight league appearances during his time with the club and after leaving The Mem in September 2016 he played for Braintree Town, Sutton United, Hereford United and Chippenham Town.
Cap number 726 was presented to Steve Elliott, who made his Rovers debut in a 2-0 win at Mansfield on 7th August 2004, the opening day of the 2004/05 campaign.
Prior to his arrival in Bristol Steve had graduated through the Derby County Academy and had made 72 league appearances for The Rams. He also played in 28 league games for Blackpool before pitching up in BS7 on 23rd June 2004. He had also won two England U-21 caps in 1998.
Another member of the successful 2006/07 side, Steve played in both finals we reached in 2007; the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final against Doncaster Rovers at The Millennium Stadium and the Play Off Final against Shrewsbury Town at Wembley.
On leaving Rovers, in July 2010, Steve was player/coach at Cheltenham Town, appearing in 174 league games to add to the 218 appearances he made for Rovers. He also played for Bath City, returned to Cheltenham as assistant manager, and was joint manager at Mangotsfield United for a while.
Another familiar figure around The Memorial Stadium, Lee Mansell joined Rovers in June 2014 as manager Darrell Clarke sought to build a side that would make a swift return to the Football League following relegation to The Conference.
Mansell, one of the more experienced players he recruited, had spent his career playing for Oxford United, Luton Town and Torquay United, for whom he played 258 times in the league.
One of, if not the best, of Clarke’s signings, he was the glue that held the midfield together during an ultimately successful Conference campaign and it was left to him to score the winning penalty at Wembley in the Play Off Final at Wembley against Grimsby Town.
When Rovers returned to league football he was able to make his debut, against one of his former clubs, Oxford United, on 6th September 2015 when he became the 870th player to appear in league football for the club. That game, one of 37 he played once the club was back in the league, added to the 44 games he played for the us in The Conference.
He became the club’s Professional Development Phase U-18 coach when he retired from playing and was then our Development Squad Manager before a spell as manager of Gloucester City.
He now works for the Professional Footballers Association and is frequently used by Radio Bristol as their co-commentator on Rovers matches, both home and away.
Midfielder Chris Lines is the only player to win three promotions with Rovers, a proud record for a local player who has enjoyed a very successful playing career, and not just with Rovers.
He first signed a pro contract with Rovers in December 2004 but had to wait until 21st January 2006 to make his league debut in a 2-1 home win against Chester City when he became the 749th player to make his league debut for the club.
He went on a s a substitute in the Johnstone Paint Tropht tie against Doncaster Rovers at The Millennium Stadium in 2007 and was on the bench for the Play Off Final against Shrewsbury Town at Wembley.
He joined Sheffield Wednesday in August 2011, enjoyed a loan spell with MK Dons whilst at Hillsborough and signed for Port Vale in July 2013.
Darrell Clarke persuaded him to return to The Mem in March 2015, initially on loan and he went on to score one of the penalties in The Conference Play Off Final at Wembley.
The following season he was a regular in the side that clinched promotion to League One and by the time he left the club for a second time, in May 2019, h3e had scored 30 goals in 306 league games for Rovers.
He went on to play for Northampton Town, Stevenage, Bath City, Yate Town and was still playing in the season just ended, for Roman Glass St George.
It was good to see all five of these former Rovers players receive their caps at The Mem and we hope that they treasure this small memento of their league debut for Bristol Rovers.