Bristol Rovers started the season very low on confidence and with lots of work to rebuild after a disastrous relegation from the Football League. Darrell Clarke was tasked with getting the team straight back up even if he was the one who oversaw all those defeats at the end of the previous season that cost the club dear. His expertise in non-league football, having won promotion with Salisbury just over an year before that, proved important as Rovers did not panic and approach the close season smartly. They made a few decent signings, Lee Mansell the best of them, and focused on keeping a tight and close-knit squad while utilising the loan system. It was a difficult start of the season as some period of adaptation was required to get used to the new demands. They suffered woeful losses to Altrincham and Braintree in the first few games of the season and generally struggled to find their feet in the new environment. But the team started to get some momentum gradually and results certainly improved towards the end of September. Solid showings in wins over Wrexham and Woking bolstered the confidence of the side and Clarke managed to settle on a starting 11 that had good balance and was functioning quite well. Matty Taylor became the main man in attack while the defending improved significantly as the season went on, with Tom Lockyer and Tom Parkes particularly impressive as the season developed. The Pirates became one of the most consistent and hard to beat sides in the league and began creeping up the table over the autumn, with five wins in a row moving them into the play-off slots and they actually suffered just a single defeat in an incredible run of 31 games from September to March, that being a 1:0 loss at home to Forest Green in October. Rovers were playing with good energy, determination and desire and claimed some excellent wins, especially a 2:1 success over Barnet at the start of December that gave them belief about a title charge. The former over the festive period remained excellent, thumping a strong Macclesfield side 4:0 at home after beating Gateshead a week before that too. Clarke’s men found it hard to get on a long winning streak, dropping some costly points in easy games like the 2:2 draw at a poor Dartford side in January. But five wins in a row over February were enough to move them top of the table, cutting the previously huge gap to the bottom thanks to the stuttering form of Barnet as well. It looked like the Pirates will surge to the title from then on but the weight of expectation saw a drop-off in form. A first loss in a long time, 2:1 at home to Eastleigh, allowed their main title rivals to steal a march in a very tight battle for the first place again. The key game for the rest of the regular season was a 1:1 draw at Dover in the penultimate round, a game that should have been won but for a late equaliser. That proved the difference at the end but Rovers did not let the disappointment get the better of them. They were commanding in the play-off semi-final against Forest Green and won 3:0 on aggregate. The final against Grimsby was a nail-biting affair which finished 1:1 after 120 minutes. Much to the manager’ delight, his players kept their nerve in the penalty shootout and eventually prevailed to become the first team since Carlisle in 2004-05 to return straightaway to the Football League. It is no more than the club deserves as they have rebuilt very impressively and have been the most consistent and solid side in the league for most of the season.
