Map showing the locations of the 24 teams in League Two during the 2011–12 season |
The 2011–12 season was the 129th season of football played by Bristol Rovers, and their 85th in the Football League. The team spent it in League Two, the fourth level of English football, after having been relegated from League One at the end of 2010–11.
The footballing year began with a new manager at the helm and an almost entirely new playing staff. Despite early optimism things rapidly turned sour, and after a run of 8 league games without a win, stretching from the beginning of November to the start of January, he was relieved of his duties after just a few months in the job. Many fans had turned against the manager long before this point, not helped by the very public falling out he had with previous club captain and caretaker manager Stuart Campbell which saw Campbell leave the club in December.
Buckle's assistant Shaun North was left in charge of the first team until a replacement could be found. He was thrown in at the deep end as his first ever game as a professional manager was an FA Cup tie against Premier League side Aston Villa, in a game screened live on national television. North remained in charge for three games, recording one win and one draw in the league to go with the defeat to Villa in the cup.
On 18 January the club named Mark McGhee as the new manager and he immediately brought about an upturn in form, with very few changes to Buckle's playing staff. He also opted to keep North on as assistant boss to help with the transitional period, rather than bringing in his own man. This no doubt helped speed up the new manager's familiarity with the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the squad.
The Gas ended the season comfortably in mid table, finishing 13th, which although was significantly below the pre-season expectations of promotion, it was something of a relief considering the team's flirtation with the relegation zone towards the end of Buckle's tenure at the helm.
Season summary[]
Summary of the 2011–12 season | |
---|---|
Division: | npower League Two |
League position (won, drawn, lost): | 13th (w:15, d:12, l:19) |
FA Cup: | Third round |
League Cup: | Second round |
League Trophy: | First round |
Personnel | |
Chairman: | Nick Higgs |
Manager: | Paul Buckle (until early January) Shaun North (caretaker) Mark McGhee (January onwards) |
Assistant manager: | Shaun North |
Captain: | Matt Gill |
Statistics | |
Top goalscorer (all competitions): | Matt Harrold (18) |
Top goalscorer (league only): | Matt Harrold (16) |
Most appearances (all competitions): | Lee Brown (48) |
Most appearances (league only): | Lee Brown (42) |
Biggest win: | Bristol Rovers 7-1 Burton Albion (14-04-2012) |
Heaviest defeat: | Dagenham & Redbridge 4-0 Bristol Rovers (05-05-2012) |
Highest attendance (home, league): | 8,427 (Bristol Rovers 1-2 Torquay United (13-08-2011)) |
Highest attendance (home, cup): | 10,883 (Bristol Rovers 1-3 Aston Villa (07-01-2012)) |
Highest attendance (away, league): | 10,023 (Bradford City 2-2 Bristol Rovers (10-09-2011)) |
Highest attendance (away, cup): | 2,236 (AFC Totton 1-6 Bristol Rovers (04-12-2011)) |
Lowest attendance (home, league): | 5,024 (Bristol Rovers 0-2 Barnet (19-11-2011)) |
Lowest attendance (home, cup): | 3,787 (Bristol Rovers 3-1 Corby Town (12-11-2011)) |
Lowest attendance (away, league): | 1,643 (Accrington Stanley 2-1 Bristol Rovers (05-11-2011)) |
Lowest attendance (away, cup): | 771 (Wycombe Wanderers 3-1 Bristol Rovers (06-09-2011)) |
Fixtures[]
Pre-season[]
- See 2011–12 pre-season for more details
The club arranged nine pre-season warmup matches, three nominally at home, although one of those was played at Twerton Park, and six away. There was originally a game scheduled against Kidderminster Harriers on 26 July, but after a game against Reading was arranged on the same day Kiddy pulled out of the fixture as they wanted to face a full strength team and Rovers would only play a reserve XI.
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 July | Mangotsfield United | Away | 5–1 | 1,169 | L.Brown, McGleish, Richards, Swallow (2) |
8 July | Bath City | Away | 2–0 | 1,200 | Anyinsah, W.Brown |
11 July | Salisbury City | Away | 5–2 | 603 | Bolger, Anyinsah, Dutton (og), McGleish, Zebroski |
14 July | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Home1 | 2–2 | 841 | McGleish (pen), McLaggon |
19 July | Burnley | Home | 2–0 | 2,500 | Harrold, Richards |
21 July | Weston-super-Mare | Away | 2–0 | Lines, McLaggon | |
26 July | Reading | Home | 1–2 | 3,309 | Kuffour |
30 July | Gloucester City | Away | 3–2 | 425 | Virgo, Anthony, McGleish |
1 August | Bitton | Away | 1–2 | Richards |
1 Game played at Twerton Park
Competitive matches[]
Date | Competition | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | League Pos |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 August | League Two | AFC Wimbledon | Away | 3–2 | 4,629 | McGleish, Harrold, Virgo (pen) | 2nd |
10 August | League Cup | Watford | Home | Match postponed for policing reasons | |||
13 August | League Two | Torquay United | Home | 1–2 | 8,427 | Anthony | 11th |
16 August | League Two | Northampton Town | Home | 2–1 | 5,812 | Kuffour, Harrold | 7th |
20 August | League Two | Macclesfield Town | Away | 0–0 | 1,865 | 8th | |
23 August | League Cup | Watford | Home | 1–1 | 4,432 | Harrold | |
Bristol Rovers progress to the second round after winning the penalty shootout 4–2 | |||||||
27 August | League Two | Hereford United | Home | 0–0 | 6,342 | 10th | |
30 August | League Cup | Leyton Orient | Away | 2–3 | 1,881 | Zebroski, Richards | |
3 September | League Two | Crawley Town | Away | 1–4 | 3,693 | L.Brown | 14th |
6 September | League Trophy | Wycombe Wanderers | Away | 1–3 | 771 | Harrold | |
10 September | League Two | Bradford City | Away | 2–2 | 10,023 | Harrold, Richards | 16th |
13 September | League Two | Shrewsbury Town | Home | 1–0 | 5,065 | Zebroski | 12th |
17 September | League Two | Aldershot Town | Home | 0–1 | 5,640 | 16th | |
24 September | League Two | Morecambe | Away | 3–2 | 2,583 | Bolger, McGleish, Anyinsah | 12th |
1 October | League Two | Cheltenham Town | Home | 1–3 | 6,108 | L. Brown | 15th |
8 October | League Two | Oxford United | Away | 0–3 | 9,291 | 17th | |
14 October | League Two | Rotherham United | Home | 5–2 | 5,395 | McGleish (2), Bolger, L. Brown, Anyinsah | 12th |
22 October | League Two | Burton Albion | Away | 1–2 | 3,094 | Harold | 14th |
25 October | League Two | Port Vale | Home | 0–3 | 5,444 | 16th | |
29 October | League Two | Dagenham & Redbridge | Home | 2–0 | 5,475 | Anyinsah, Harrold (pen) | 15th |
5 November | League Two | Accrington Stanley | Away | 1–2 | 1,643 | Anyinsah | 16th |
12 November | FA Cup | Corby Town | Home | 3–1 | 3,787 | Scott McGleish (pen), Mustapha Carayol, Chris Zebroski | |
19 November | League Two | Barnet | Home | 0–2 | 5,024 | 17th | |
26 November | League Two | Southend United | Away | 1–1 | 6,237 | Harrold | 18th |
4 December | FA Cup | AFC Totton | Away | 6–1 | 2,236 | Anyinsah, Carayol, Woodards, Anthony, Richards (2) | |
10 December | League Two | Swindon Town | Home | 1–1 | 7,726 | Woodards | 18th |
17 December | League Two | Gillingham | Away | 1–4 | 7,750 | Carayol | 18th |
26 December | League Two | Plymouth Argyle | Home | 2–3 | 8,090 | Harrold (2, 1 pen) | 18th |
31 December | League Two | Crewe Alexandra | Home | 2–5 | 5,037 | Harrold, McGleish | 19th |
2 January | League Two | Barnet | Away | 0–2 | 2,537 | 19th | |
7 January | FA Cup | Aston Villa | Home | 1–3 | 10,883 | McGleish | |
10 January | League Two | Hereford United | Away | 2–1 | 2,411 | L. Brown, McGleish | 17th |
14 January | League Two | Crawley Town | Home | 0–0 | 5,082 | 18th | |
21 January | League Two | Cheltenham Town | Away | 2–0 | 5,288 | Zebroski, Richards | 17th |
28 January | League Two | Bradford City | Home | 2–1 | 6,164 | L. Brown, Richards | 16th |
4 February | League Two | Aldershot Town | Away | Match postponed due to frozen pitch | |||
11 February | League Two | Morecambe | Home | 2–1 | 5,381 | L. Brown, McGleish (pen) | 15th |
14 February | League Two | Shrewsbury Town | Away | 0–1 | 4,928 | 15th | |
18 February | League Two | Oxford United | Home | 0–0 | 6,512 | 16th | |
25 February | League Two | Rotherham United | Away | 1–0 | 3,937 | Dorman | 16th |
3 March | League Two | Macclesfield Town | Home | 0–0 | 5,420 | 16th | |
6 March | League Two | Northampton Town | Away | 2–3 | 4,028 | Stanley, L. Brown | 16th |
10 March | League Two | Torquay United | Away | 2–2 | 3,920 | Harrold, Zebroski | 16th |
17 March | League Two | AFC Wimbledon | Home | 1–0 | 5,828 | Carayol | 14th |
20 March | League Two | Plymouth Argyle | Away | 1–1 | 7,531 | Harrold | 15th |
24 March | League Two | Southend United | Home | 1–0 | 6,258 | Harrold (pen) | 14th |
27 March | League Two | Aldershot Town | Away | 0–1 | 2,870 | 14th | |
31 March | League Two | Swindon Town | Away | 0–0 | 9,645 | 14th | |
6 April | League Two | Gillingham | Home | 2–2 | 6,160 | Richards, Carayol | 14th |
9 April | League Two | Crewe Alexandra | Away | 0–3 | 4,139 | 15th | |
14 April | League Two | Burton Albion | Home | 7–1 | 5,353 | Carayol, Richards (3), Harrold (2, 1 pen), Paterson | 14th |
21 April | League Two | Port Vale | Away | 0–1 | 4,066 | 15th | |
28 April | League Two | Accrington Stanley | Home | 5–1 | 7,073 | Harrold (2, 1 pen), Dorman, Lund (2) | 12th |
5 May | League Two | Dagenham & Redbridge | Away | 0–4 | 2,377 | 13th |
Squad[]
No | Nat | Name | Pos | League | FA Cup | Carling Cup | JP Trophy | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | ||||
1 | Scott Bevan | GK | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
20 | Michael Poke | GK | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
20 | Conor Gough | GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
25 | Lance Cronin | GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
38 | Matt Macey | GK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2 | Michael Smith | Def | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
3 | Gary Sawyer | Def | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
4 | Danny Woodards | Def | 39 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 2 | |
5 | Cian Bolger | Def | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
14 | Lee Brown | Def | 42 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 7 | |
15 | Byron Anthony | Def | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
19 | Adam Virgo | Def | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
22 | Charlie Clough | Def | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
30 | Michael Boateng | Def | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
33 | Aaron Downes | Def | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
37 | Tom Parkes | Def | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
4 | Chris Lines | Mid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
6 | Craig Stanley | Mid | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
7 | Stuart Campbell | Mid | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
8 | Matt Gill | Mid | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
11 | Mustapha Carayol | Mid | 30 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 6 | |
16 | Joe Anyinsah | Mid | 31 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 | |
17 | Jim Paterson | Mid | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
21 | Wayne Brown | Mid | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
23 | Ben Swallow | Mid | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
23 | Matthew Lund | Mid | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | |
24 | Ollie Clarke | Mid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
29 | Darren Jefferies | Mid | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
31 | Shaquille Hunter | Mid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
33 | Oliver Norburn | Mid | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
34 | Andy Dorman | Mid | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
35 | Jordan Goddard | Mid | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
9 | Matt Harrold | Fwd | 40 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 18 | |
10 | Scott McGleish | Fwd | 27 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 9 | |
17 | Jo Kuffour | Fwd | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
18 | Eliot Richards | Fwd | 32 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 10 | |
26 | Chris Zebroski | Fwd | 39 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 5 | |
27 | Kayne McLaggon | Fwd | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
28 | Lamar Powell | Fwd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
32 | Mitch Harding | Fwd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
34 | Scott Rendell | Fwd | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Midfielder Charlie Reece was officially still on the books of Bristol Rovers during this season, but after being told in the summer that he was free to leave if he could find another club he was not allocated a squad number.
Match lineups[]
Awards[]
The Suporters' Club awards dinner was held on 3 May 2012 and four trophies were handed out. These were the traditional Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, along with the more recent additions of Goal of the Season and Youth Team Player of the Year.
- Player of the Year: Danny Woodards
- Young Player of the Year: Eliot Richards
- Goal of the Season: Mustapha Carayol's 42nd-minute strike in the 7–1 win over Burton Albion on 14 April 2012
- Youth Team Player of the Year: Mitch Harding
Beginning in January, the club also ran a Player of the Month competition, with the winner voted for online by the fans. There were three winners in all, with no poll held for games played in April or May.
- January: Aaron Downes
- February: Michael Poke
- March: Danny Woodards
The award became known as something of a curse after both Downes and Poke suffered serious injuries immediately after winning the title. Although Woodards managed to stay fit for a few games after winning he suffered a broken leg in the final game of the season, two days after picking up the Player of the Year award.
Statistics[]
Goalscorers[]
Player | League | Cups | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Matt Harrold | 16 | 2 | 18 |
Eliot Richards | 7 | 3 | 10 |
Scott McGleish | 7 | 2 | 9 |
Lee Brown | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Mustapha Carayol | 4 | 2 | 6 |
Joe Anyinsah | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Chris Zebroski | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Byron Anthony | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Cian Bolger | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Andy Dorman | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Matthew Lund | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Danny Woodards | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Jo Kuffour | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Jim Paterson | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Craig Stanley | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Adam Virgo | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Discipline[]
Only bookings received while playing for Bristol Rovers are included in this list. Cautions received while out on loan, prior to joining or after leaving The Gas are not given.
League table[]
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | Aldershot Town | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 54 | 52 | 2 | 66 |
12 | Port Vale | 46 | 29 | 9 | 17 | 68 | 60 | 8 | 59* |
13 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 60 | 70 | -10 | 57 |
14 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 54 | 66 | -12 | 57 |
15 | Morecambe | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 63 | 57 | 6 | 56 |
* Port Vale deducted 10 points for entering administration.
League progress[]
The chart below shows Rovers' progress in the league table over the course of the 2011–12 season. The x-axis shows the number of games played and the y-axis represents The Pirates' position in the league at that point of the season.
Team kit[]
The kit manufacturer was again Erreà, who have been providing team wear since 2005. The home kit featured the traditional blue and white quarters, while the away kit, which was also quartered, was black and green.
As has been the norm at the club since the 2009–10 season, the shirt sponsor was selected via a random draw from a number of companies who paid to take part. This years first prize winners, and sponsors of the home shirt, were McCarthy Waste Management, while the away shirt sponsors were Edinburgh-based couriers ITS.
There was also a third place prize in the draw, which was sponsorship of the South Stand at the Memorial Stadium, and that went to Brunel Professional Risks.
The club's announcement of the winners can be found at http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/page/LatestNews/0,,10328~2327731,00.html
Transfers[]
Players in[]
Players out[]
Date | Name | Nationality | To | Contract | Fee |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 August | Chris Lines | England | Sheffield Wednesday | 3 years | £50,000 |
31 August | Ben Swallow | Wales | Bath City | 3 months | Loan |
9 September | Charlie Clough | England | Bath City | 3 months | Loan |
30 September | Jo Kuffour | England | Gillingham | 3 months | Loan |
20 October | Michael Boateng | England | Tonbridge Angels | 2 months | Loan |
20 October | Kayne McLaggon | Wales | Tonbridge Angels | 2 months | Loan |
20 October | Charlie Reece | England | Gloucester City | 1 month | Loan |
20 December | Stuart Campbell | Scotland | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Released | |
12 January | Jo Kuffour | England | Gillingham | ||
30 January | Charlie Reece | England | Tamworth | 1 month | Loan |
31 January | Ben Swallow | Wales | York City | 4 months | Released |
17 February | Byron Anthony | Wales | Hereford United | 3 months | Loan |
20 February | Lance Cronin | England | Ebbsfleet United | 3 months | Loan |
1 March | Scott McGleish | England | Barnet | 2 months | Loan |
9 March | Charlie Clough | England | AFC Telford United | 1 month | Loan |
26 March | Ollie Clarke | England | Clevedon Town | 1 month | Loan |
30 June | Byron Anthony | Wales | Hereford United | Non-contract | Released |
30 June | Michael Boateng | England | Bromley | Released | |
30 June | Charlie Clough | England | Dorchester Town | Released | |
30 June | Lance Cronin | England | Macclesfield Town | Released | |
30 June | Darren Jefferies | England | Frome Town | Released | |
30 June | Scott McGleish | England | Whitehawk | Released | |
30 June | Kayne McLaggon | Wales | Weston-super-Mare | Released | |
30 June | Lamar Powell | England | Bath City | Released | |
30 June | Charlie Reece | England | Worcester City | 1 year | Released |
30 June | Gary Sawyer | England | Leyton Orient | 2 years | Free |
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