By Jordan Young
Bristol Rovers are looking forward to their game as they host Oxford United. Rovers are still celebrating following their biggest away league victory since January 1999 after a 6-0 win against Northampton on Saturday.
Bristol may seem to have the upper hand in this match as they have won the last three encounters between the two. But both teams have won their last two games so there is little to separate them.
Rovers are in good shape in terms of goal scorers as Ellis Harrison bagged two last weekend and also found the back of the net the last time they met. And Rory Gaffney averages one league goal for every 86 minutes on the pitch, which is the best for any striker with four or more goals in League One. Rovers striker Dom Telford also scored for the development team in a victory against AFC Wimbledon, so he could be one to watch. Tom Lockyer and Ryan Sweeney are also both back from the international break.
There may be a chance for Oxford to break Rovers though, as top striker Billy Bodin went off injured in the game on Saturday and therefore will not start this weekend. Oxford have conceded five goals in their last three games so this may be the opportunity they need to break this spell.
Oxford’s right winger James Henry said: “We’ve shown in the last two games how good we can be when we’re firing on all cylinders.”
He went off limping in their last game against Wimbledon and will be assessed over the next 48 hours to see if he will be starting this weekend.
However, the main player Bristol should be worried about is keeper Simon Eastwood, who made a great save against AFC Wimbledon at the weekend and surely will be keeping up morale for this weekend’s game.
Oxford’s boss Pep Clotet said: “They only had five shots on goal, but only one on target, and the fact your keeper saves it, that says a lot.”