Familiar story as struggling Rovers lack a cutting edge

Talking points from Bristol Rovers' defeat to Cheltenham at the EV Charger Points Stadium, by Will Murray

- Will Murray

BRISTOL Rovers were plunged further into a League Two relegation battle after losing 1-0 to Cheltenham Town at the EV Charger Points Stadium.

Despite the hosts only having one shot on target, Jonathan Tomkinson's 70th-minute strike was enough for the Robins to secure a first home win against the Gas since 2008.

Despite dominating large parts of the game and restricting Cheltenham to limited attacks, Rovers left the ground pointless again extending their losing streak in the league to seven.

The result leaves Darrell Clarke's side in 20th, which is only two points ahead of the relegation zone occupied by Harrogate Town.

Rovers have home league games against high-flying Notts County and Swindon to come in the next few weeks, so things could easily get worse before they get better.

With that said, here are the standout talking points from the 1-0 defeat against Steve Cotterill's side.

LOTS OF SHOTS AND TERRITORY BUT NO GOALS TO SHOW FOR IT

A FAMILIAR story. The Gas had 17 shots at Cheltenham, with only three on target. Meanwhile, the hosts only registered four shots, with their effort on target finding the back of the net.

Saturday felt very similar to the game against Gillingham at the Memorial Stadium earlier this month, where Rovers dominated for long spells but were ultimately punished for not capitalising on their superiority.

Fabrizio Cavegn and Joel Cotterill came closest for the Gas, with the latter hitting the post in the second half with a deflected effort. Cavegn huffed and puffed and had a pair of half-chances in the first half, but he was unable to find a way past Joe Day.