By Cole Martin
BRISTOL Rovers will be hoping to maintain their undefeated home record this season as they host winless Bolton Wanderers at the Memorial Stadium.
Graham Coughlan will be looking for an immediate reaction from his team, who faced their first defeat since August in a 2-0 loss against Doncaster Rovers last Saturday, moving them out of the play-off places.
The Gas are likely to still be without Liam Sercombe as a result of a muscle strain the midfielder picked up during a 1-0 victory against MK Dons two games ago, whereas top-scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris continues his rehab following a calf strain developed in training prior to the win in Buckinghamshire.
Bolton, meanwhile, are facing a miserable season on and off the pitch, sitting at the foot of the League One table after being slapped with a 12-point deduction due to an unpaid £1.2m tax bill.
Despite a survival from extinction and the appointment of hometown manager Keith Hill, the ex-Premier League club’s only points have come from draws against Coventry City, Oxford United, Sunderland and Blackpool.
Hill’s side faced their seventh defeat of the season after a 3-1 loss to Rochdale last weekend, inflicting more misery on a dismal campaign.
The Trotters also face injury woes ahead of their visit to the West Country, as two high-profile players Will Buckley (fractured collarbone) and Liam Bridcutt (fractured knee-cap) are unavailable.
Pre-match thoughts
Bristol Rovers assistant manager Joe Dunne told the club’s official website: “We have to reflect on what we’ve done exceptionally well and get back to those standards that we set ourselves.”
“This group have shown in the past that they can respond and we expect them to go out and make sure we stick to the game-plan tomorrow night.”
Dunne also optimistically added: “Certainly at the moment we’re competing well in this league, we’ve set ourselves high standards and we’ve picked up some good results, we focus on continuing to do that.”
Kick-off is at 19.45 at the Memorial Stadium in Bristol.
