![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1_PPAUK_Bristol_Rovers_v_Gillingham_081125_039JPG.jpg\")
Tom Lockyer of Bristol Rovers tells his team mates to calm down as Gillingham go ahead during the Sky Bet League 2 Match between Bristol Rovers and Gillingham at Memorial Stadium on 19 August 2025. Photo: Kara Thomas\/PPAUK<\/p>\nBristol Live’s stand-out talking points after Bristol Rovers lost their fifth consecutive League Two game against GillinghamTom Lockyer of Bristol Rovers tells his team mates to calm down as Gillingham go ahead during the Sky Bet League 2 Match between Bristol Rovers and Gillingham at Memorial Stadium on 19 August 2025. Photo: Kara Thomas\/PPAUK<\/p>\n
When Kamil Conteh\u2019s header was superbly tipped onto the crossbar and Freddie Issaka\u2019s effort was cleared off the line in the 97th minute, there was a feeling more than ever inside the Memorial Stadium that it wasn\u2019t going to be Bristol Rovers\u2019<\/a> day.<\/p>\n They recorded more than double the number of shots taken by Gillingham and had over 70% possession. Despite this, they left the Mem empty-handed, meaning they have now lost their last five league games in a row.<\/p>\n Max Clark, who missed a first-half penalty, redeemed himself in the 53rd minute when he rifled a left-footed half-volley into the top right corner past Luke Southwood.<\/p>\n The Gas found it hard to break down Gillingham as the visitors dropped deeper and deeper in the closing stages, but were inches away from levelling the match.<\/p>\n Recent home performances against Tranmere Rovers and MK Dons have seen the Gas ship four goals in each game, with the last victory at the Mem coming against Salford City in late September.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Darrell Clarke frustrated with ‘forward-thinking play’ as Bristol Rovers narrowly beaten by Gillingham<\/a>READ MORE: Bristol Rovers 0-1 Gillingham recap: Max Clark strike sees Gillingham pick up three points<\/a><\/p>\n While the performance was a significant improvement on the Tranmere and MK Dons displays, Darrell Clarke\u2019s side now find themselves in 17th – only four points above the relegation zone – with away games against 20th-placed Accrington Stanley and Cheltenham Town, who sit in 22nd to come in the next couple of weeks.<\/p>\n There are certainly a lot of positives to take from yesterday\u2019s game, but Clarke, more than anyone, will know the importance of translating performances into results in the next few weeks.<\/p>\n With Plymouth Argyle at home in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday and a trip to Accrington to come, here are the stand-out talking points from the 1-0 defeat against Gillingham.<\/p>\n \u2018Nine times out of 10, you win that game\u2019 – Clarke stresses need for killer edge up top<\/p>\n Rovers had 17 shots during the defeat, with only four on target. With the game at 0-0, the Gas dominated proceedings and had gilt-edge opportunities to put themselves in front in the first-half, with Fabrizio Cavegn and Stephan Negru coming closest.<\/p>\n After Clark\u2019s opener, Alfie Chang, Luke Thomas, Conteh and Issaka all had chances, but were unable to find a way past Turner. As frustrating as the result was, Clarke was keen to stress the level of the performance when speaking to Bristol Live<\/a>. He said: \u201cWe dominated the game, so like nine times out of 10, you win that game. So, the stats will tell you that, the data will tell you that, everything will tell you about that.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWhen you play games like that, it\u2019s about putting the ball in the back of the net, which we\u2019re not doing in the final third. We’re not getting enough, at the minute, out of those players and we need to be working on them. I need to get them positive, which I will do and we get working how we do.”<\/p>\n Bristol Rovers are preparing for a new season in League Two with Darrell Clarke back at the helm and you won’t miss a beat with our free newsletter.<\/p>\n All the latest news, views, interviews, gossip and analysis concerning the Gas, delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n It’s completely free and you can sign up HERE<\/a><\/p>\n After a dismal October, which saw Rovers concede 14 in four League Two games, November has already seen a significant improvement in terms of the defensive output of the team. Last week at Bromley, a back three of Tom Lockyer, Stephan Negru and Clinton Mola stood firm against a physical outfit, and on Saturday the same backline were largely untested, with the only goal coming from a wonderstrike from outside the box.<\/p>\n So, defensively, Rovers have improved, but there is clearly a long way to go in terms of being clinical in front of goal. In fact, the Gas have only scored twice in their last five League Two<\/a> games – highlighting a key issue.<\/p>\n Has Clarke settled on a back three?<\/p>\n There were eyebrows raised by some when the teamsheets came out at 1:45pm and Clarke opted for the same team that started in the win against Bromley<\/a>. This included a back three of Lockyer, Negru and Mola, with the former Premier League defender playing in the middle of the three.<\/p>\n Mola has looked particularly comfortable in a back three and consistently drove forward from his left centre-back position to overload Gillingham\u2019s midfield. Despite giving away the first-half penalty, the 24-year-old impressed and has seemingly found a role and a system that suits his skillset.<\/p>\n When asked about the difference between playing in a back four and a back five, Mola said: \u201cI don\u2019t really mind either [formation]. I feel like I\u2019m flexible to play either position. In a five, I feel like when I\u2019m playing as the left centre-half, I feel like I have the licence to step in with the ball more and that\u2019s a big part of my game and I try to obviously show that.\u201d<\/p>\n Negru, on the other side of the back three, made his first appearance at the Mem, and despite having less of an impact than Mola, had a solid game. His first-half miss was a big one in the context of the game, but the young defender has significant potential and looks to be confident alongside the experienced Lockyer.<\/p>\n Lockyer makes emotional return to the Mem<\/p>\n As already mentioned, Lockyer<\/a> played in the middle of the back three. The 30-year-old was impressive throughout – winning the physical battle against Josh Andrews and starting attacks with a few accurate diagonal passes.<\/p>\n It was an emotional occasion for Lockyer, as he was making his first appearance at the Mem since returning to the club last month.<\/p>\n Speaking to the club\u2019s media team<\/a> after the game, he said: “It was nice and it was lovely. It was lovely to walk out with my daughter and on the remembrance game as well, which is obviously nice. I had the family here, a lot of support and walking out with my daughter was a bit of a surreal moment for me. I was a little bit emotional with that, and it meant a lot.”<\/p>\n Lockyer has certainly added another dimension to Rovers\u2019 defence, but he, more than anyone, will know the importance of winning games sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n A big week ahead<\/p>\n Before the Gas return to league action, they have a home game against Plymouth Argyle in their final group stage clash in the Vertu Trophy. Clarke’s side know that a win will mean they top the group above the Pilgrims, and the 47-year-old is likely to put out a strong outfit, as they search for a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the trip to Accrington.<\/p>\n He said: “For me, we have to stay consistent and make sure that on Tuesday night – we\u2019ll be strong Tuesday night – we\u2019ll be ready to have a go Tuesday night to make sure we put on a better performance and get the result.”<\/p>\n Join Bristol Rovers Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol Rovers stories sent straight to your phone<\/strong><\/p>\n Bristol Rovers Live<\/a> is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.<\/p>\n Through the app, we\u2019ll send the Bristol Rovers news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.<\/p>\n To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select \u2018Join Community\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live<\/a> team.<\/p>\n We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.<\/p>\n To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose \u2018Exit group\u2019.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n Click here to join our WhatsApp community.<\/a><\/p>\n Rovers are currently three points above Accrington, who have 14 points from 15 games. A win for the hosts next Saturday would mean they leapfrog the Gas. John Doolan’s side will certainly be no pushovers, especially after picking up an impressive away point at Chesterfield yesterday.<\/p>\n Clarke acknowledged that he plans to go strong on Tuesday and the team selection for Plymouth could be telling for who starts at Accrington. While the backline and formation seem settled for now, he will be keen to find a solution to the finishing issues over the next week. Whether that be through a change in team selection or building players’ confidence, time will tell.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Bristol Rovers boss Darrell Clarke outlines Tom Lockyer plans as defender returns to full fitness<\/a>READ MORE: Stephan Negru discusses dealing with injury setbacks and his excitement to make home debut<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bristol Live’s stand-out talking points after Bristol Rovers lost their fifth consecutive League Two game against GillinghamTom Lockyer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":560403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,10648,2707,748,46615,393,82550,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-560402","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-bristol-live","10":"tag-bristol-rovers-fc","11":"tag-britain","12":"tag-darrell-clarke","13":"tag-england","14":"tag-football-league-2","15":"tag-great-britain","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115522583564168410","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/560403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250513_DCSigns_WC063-copy.jpg\")
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Tom Lockyer of Bristol Rovers attacks during the Sky Bet League 2 Match between Bristol Rovers and Gillingham at Memorial Stadium on 19 August 2025. Photo: Kara Thomas\/PPAUK(Image: Photo: Kara Thomas\/PPAUK)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1744476931_129_0_WhatsApp-Phone.jpg\")
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