Sad end for club legend Clarke after 10th successive defeat

Talking points from Bristol Rovers’ defeat to Swindon at the Memorial Stadium, by Will Murray

- Will Murray

HALFTIME. Walsall 0-1 Bristol Rovers. The Gas were in the playoff positions and ahead against the League Two leaders. Darrell Clarke's side didn’t register a single shot in the second half, though, with the Saddlers turning it around to secure a hard-fought 2-1 win.

Since then, it's been an unmitigated disaster. After the first half at Walsall, Rovers have lost by an aggregate of 27-2 across 10 league games, losing each and every one.

The last defeat was Saturday's 3-0 reverse at home to Swindon Town, with Joe Snowdon, Ollie Clarke, and Aaron Drinan scoring first-half goals for Ian Holloway’s side. This resulted in the club sacking Clarke at 6pm that night, with Rovers in the relegation zone following Harrogate Town’s draw at Cheltenham Town - which lifted them above the Gas on goal difference.

A SAD END FOR A CLUB LEGEND

AFTER last season's collapse, which led to relegation to League Two, Rovers needed a boost to lift the supporters’ spirits ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Clarke's appointment did just that. The 47-year-old won two promotions during his first spell at the club between 2014 and 2018 and is a club legend in north Bristol.

The start to the season was far from ideal, with four consecutive defeats in all competitions. Clarke followed this up with an eight-match unbeaten run, though, lifting the Gas into the playoff positions. A defeat at Walsall led to the worst run of consecutive league defeats in the club's history.