It was another defeat for Bristol Rovers, as they lost at home against West Country rivals Swindon Town – here’s our verdict from what was Darrell Clarke’s last match
12:42, 14 Dec 2025Updated 13:13, 14 Dec 2025
Kacper Lopata of Bristol Rovers looks dejected after conceding a second goal during the Sky Bet League 2 Match between Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town at Memorial Stadium on 13 December 2025. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK(Image: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)
Half-time. Walsall 0-1 Bristol Rovers. The Gas were firmly in the play-off positions and were ahead against the league 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 ten league games, losing each and every one.
The last defeat was yesterday’s 3-0 loss 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 last night, with Rovers in the relegation zone following Harrogate Town’s draw at Cheltenham Town – lifting them above the Gas on goal difference.
With that said, here are the main talking points from another sobering day at The Mem…
READ MORE: Darrell Clarke sacked by Bristol Rovers after tenth consecutive league defeatREAD MORE: Ian Holloway slams referee despite Swindon’s win over Bristol RoversA 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 play-off positions. A defeat at Walsall kickstarted the club’s worst run of consecutive league defeats in the club’s history, with the latest loss against Swindon Town the tenth in a row.
Ultimately, no manager survives ten consecutive league defeats – not even Clarke. He has clearly made mistakes, with the tinkering between a back five and a back four a consistent issue during his second spell in charge. The summer signings have also been mixed, with numerous injury issues and working with a small squad, backfiring on him.
A lack of physicality in attacking areas, often due to Ellis Harrison and Promise Omochere’s availability issues, has resulted in a confused style of play. In their absence, long balls were often directed towards Fabrizio Cavegn, who is clearly not a back-to-goal striker, which led to a lack of connection when Rovers attack, with huge gaps between the defence and the forward-thinking players, as they had no player with the ability to hold the ball up effectively and bring others into play.
Clarke was dealt an extremely tough hand, though, and while he underperformed, the problems at the club clearly run deeper. Since the start of last season, Rovers have had three permanent managers, with the recruitment from the previous summer still holding the club back.
Darrell Clarke, Manager of Bristol Rovers looks dejected after losing during the Sky Bet League 2 Match between Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town at Memorial Stadium on 13 December 2025. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK(Image: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)
No doubt, the Gas have some very talented players, but when you’re constantly changing managers and signing players for different styles, it becomes tough for them to reach their full potential. The downfalls of this misaligned approach are perfectly summarised by the form of Isaac Hutchinson, who was sent out on loan on 1st September after signing a three-year deal with Rovers in June 2024.
In his time at the Robins so far, Hutchinson has scored seven and registered two in 14 appearances in all competitions, with Steve Cotterill’s side lifting themselves above Rovers in the table.
Clarke had his faults, but the form of Hutchinson and the makeup of the squad highlight ongoing issues concerning muddled recruitment. Even though the second spell didn’t go as planned, Clarke remains a club legend, and I wish him all the best in the future, whatever he decides to do.
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Soft goals to concede
Now, onto the defeat against Swindon. The visitors were clinical, scoring with all three of their shots on target. In truth, the first one was hard to defend as the strike from Snowdon was a beauty. The following two goals left Clarke in a state of disbelief on the sidelines, though.
The second was from a corner, and a routine delivery to the front post saw Clarke beat Cotterill to the header, with the ball seemingly drifting in at the far corner in slow motion. It was all too easy, with Southwood visibly angry after it hit the back of the net.
Shortly after, Swindon made it three. It was another routine goal with Swindon not having to do much to create a big chance. A simple long ball forward to Ollie Palmer was flicked on by the striker with Alfie Kilgour tight to him, with Swindon eventually finding Drinan in space who tucked past Southwood, while the Rovers defence were at sixes and sevens.
Kacper Lopata’s red card in the 36th minute didn’t help things, but the game was already gone, especially for a Rovers team that has only scored twice in their last nine league matches. Clarke has frequently mentioned how easy this team is to score against, saying after the 3-1 loss at Accrington Stanley in mid-November, “We’re becoming very easy to score against and needing way too many chances at the other end, whether it be the final pass, the final shot.”
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Gasheads at the end of their tether
There is no doubt about it, Rovers feel like a broken club right now. In 44 league games in 2025, the Gas have lost 28, with back-to-back relegations a real possibility. Just before the game, a ‘SpeakUpOrSellUp’ banner was unveiled in the South Stand, with sections of the fanbase becoming increasingly restless with the AlSaeed ownership, who are now looking for their fifth different manager since investing in the club in August 2023.
(Image: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)
Ultimately, football is an escape from reality for many people, but the current experience of being a Gashead is a miserable one. While a statement from the ownership is “likely to be before Christmas”, according to the Supporters Club AGM on 6th November, the Gas will need to secure some results on the pitch sooner rather than later; otherwise, a return to non-league seems the natural end to this spiralling situation.
What next? Brady and Evans emerge as frontrunners
What next? The natural answer from many Rovers fans right now would obviously be: relegation. But the Gas are still in touch, despite moving into the relegation zone following Harrogate’s draw at Cheltenham yesterday.
Whether a new Head Coach can get this group of players going is hard to know, and to stay up, the new man needs around 44 points, as this would have kept every team above the bottom two in the last four League Two seasons. With Rovers currently on 17 points from 20 games, the new boss will likely need 27 points from the final 26 matches to keep the Gas in the Football League. It looks easy on paper, but with confidence at an “all-time low”, according to Tom Lockyer, the Rovers managerial hotseat looks to be a poisoned chalice.
Northampton Town manager Jon Brady.(Image: Ryan Crockett/JMP)
In terms of the new Head Coach, the process is already underway, and Jon Brady and Steve Evans have already emerged as the frontrunners, with the former emerging as a serious contender after resigning from his most recent role at Northampton Town in December 2024. Both would make sense in their own right, and they’ll want assurances they can bring in their own players in the upcoming January transfer window. Where Rovers turn next will be fascinating, and it’s a decision that will make or break this season.
OPINION
OPINION