Rovers very much on upward trajectory after terrible start

Talking points from Bristol Rovers’ victory against Newport at Rodney Parade, by Dan Hargraves

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THE season is just five weeks old, but it feels as though Bristol Rovers have already crammed a fair bit into the opening month-and-a-bit of the new campaign.

A poor start with four defeats in a row, on the back of last season’s relegation, saw the mood drop even lower. Three weeks on from that Chesterfield defeat, though, and things are looking far rosier.

A 3-2 win at Newport County on Saturday made it three wins in a row in League Two, while the Gas are unbeaten in five if you include a goalless stalemate against Oldham Athletic in the league and a bonkers 4-4 draw with Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s in the EFL Trophy.

After a flat, forgettable first half, Rovers sprung into life when good work from debutant Alfie Chang created a goalmouth scramble that saw Fabrizio Cavegn hit the woodwork and force a save before Luke Thomas bundled the ball over the line.

The winger then scored a second when he latched on to a poor pass from the Newport goalkeeper before finishing past him clinically.

Substitute Ellis Harrison added a third off the bench, heading in a delightful cross from Chang, whom he played with at Walsall last season. A late double from the hosts made the conclusion more nervy than necessary.

ANOTHER MILESTONE TICKED OFF

IN this recent run, Bristol Rovers have ticked off individual milestones. First win, first away win, three league clean sheets in a row for first time in more three years - now, they've made it three consecutive victories for the first time since October 2022.

On the whole, 10 points from a possible 21 isn’t the most inspiring of starts, but when you zoom in on the last four, 10 points from 12 is far more encouraging and proves that Rovers are very much on an upward trajectory now.