The Boxing Day clash between Bristol Rovers and Exeter City will be the 85th league meeting between the sides and, to date, Rovers have won 27, Exeter 28 and there’s been 29 draws so honours are fairly even, though Rovers have scored 120 goals to Exeter’s 116.
On the managerial/coaching side, then former Rovers’ boss Matt Taylor also managed Exeter, from June 2018 until October 2022. His last game as Exeter boss was against Rovers, on 3rd October 2022. His former Rovers assistant, Wayne Carlisle also worked under Taylor at Exeter and Rotherham and, in addition, played for both clubs
Both clubs have been associated with an England World Cup winner in Alan Ball and an England captain in Gerry Francis. Ball, Exeter’s manager from July 1991 until January 1993, ended his playing career with Rovers and scored twice in 17 league games at the end of the 1982/83 campaign.
Francis played for, and managed, both clubs and whilst his time in the Exeter hotseat wasn’t an unqualified success, he guided Rovers to promotion as Third Division Champions in 1990. He later returned to Rovers for a second stint as manager in the summer of 2001, though left before Christmas that year.
Paul Tisdale played for Exeter and was the club’s manager for 12 years from 2006 and, following a stint as manager of MK Dons and a one year sabbatical, he became Rovers’ boss in November 2020 though his tenure lasted only until February 2021.
In four spells as an Exeter player Paul Buckle racked up 191 league appearances. After four years in charge of Torquay United he was appointed manager of Rovers in the summer of 2011 but was sacked in January 2012 after a disastrous time in charge.
Marcus Stewart, also played for both clubs and ended his playing career at the Memorial Stadium, when he turned out for Exeter against Rovers. He later returned to Rovers and was assistant to Darrell Clarke when we won back to back promotions in 2015 and 2016.
Goalkeeper Kevin Miller is another to have played for both and he has returned to St James Park as Exeter’s goalkeeping coach.
Francis, Carlisle, Stewart and Miller are among a long list of players to have played for both clubs and are in good company, as you can see from the following names; Pat Baldwin, Frankie Bennett, Hiram Boateng, Ryan Brunt, Danny Coles, Peter Cawley, Ian Davies, Brian Doyle, Richard Dryden, Rhys Evans, Richard Evans, Joe Gadston, Brian Gayle, Matt Gill, Jake Gosling, Bert Hoyle, Lee Hodges, Ian Hamilton, Alan Gow, David Lee, Aidan McCaffery, David Mehew, Trevor Morgan, Tom Nichols, Eliot Richards, Frankie Prince, Graeme Power, Dick Plumb, Martin Phillips, Tom Parkes, Mark O’Connor, Phil Roberts, Gary Sawyer, Liam Sercombe, Robbie Turner, Lee Zabek, Danny Woodards, Graham Withey and Adam Virgo.
Three more players to be added to that list are Tristan Crama, Ryan Woods and Mustapha Carayol, all of whom are now playing for Exeter.
Crama was with Rovers last season, on loan from Brentford, and appeared in 27 league games. Still a Brentford player, he is spending this season at St James Park.
Woods earnt a unique place in Rovers history when he became the 1,000th player to appear in the league for Rovers during his loan spell from Hull City. He signed a permanent deal with Exeter in the summer.
Carayol spent the 2011/12 season with Rovers and joined Exeter in the summer. He played against us at the Mem in this season’s Trophy match between the sides.
Post war Rovers players who have made their Rovers debut against Exeter include; Edward Parsons Michael Tippett (both 1949/50), Ken Ronaldson (1965/66), Steve Bailey Errington Kelly (both 1981/82), Ian McLean Dave Pritchard (both 1993/94), Neil Ross, James Quinn James Thomas (all 2001/02), Tom Eaves, Derek Riordan (both 2012/13), Shaquille Hunter (2013/14) and Rory Gaffney (2015/16).
Last season three more players made their Rovers debut against Exeter, in the match at St James Park, namely Brandon Aguilera, Elkan Baggott and Harry Vaughan.
Last Saturday, Rovers drew 1-1 against Wrexham at The Memorial Stadium while Exeter were 2-1 winners at Burton Albion. Those results see Rovers in 19th place with 22 points from 20 games while Exeter have 27 points from the same number of games and are in 13th place.
The managerial situation at Rovers hadn’t been resolved at the time of writing, so it’s quite possible that David Horseman will again be in charge. If he is, and he can start with the side that finished the game against Wrexham, we might, just might, come away from Devon with three points!
In the final twenty minutes of that game we saw a glimpse of what this Rovers squad is capable of, and it is to be hoped we see the attitude and desire shown towards the end of the game on show for the whole 90 minutes.
We wish all Gasheads making the short journey down to Devon a safe journey.
