Bristol Rovers v Bournemouth AFC – Time to Start

It’s time for Rovers to get a run going if they are to survive the drop and what better than a fixture against promotion hopefuls Bournemouth to get things moving.

The Cherries look to have shrugged off the disappointment of losing boss Eddie Howe to Burnley and Lee Bradbury has kept their drive for the Championship on track. Bradbury was appointed initially in a caretaking role on January 15th, but then given a two and one half year deal thirteen days later.

Former Manchester City and Pompey striker Bradbury, 35, has overseen four wins and two draws since taking the reins while the south coast club now sit in second in League One, three points behind leaders Brighton having played two games more.

But Bradbury has to taste defeat at some point and why not at the Memorial Ground?

Confidence is shaky among the Rovers players at the moment and it appears that whatever could go wrong is going wrong. Injuries, suspensions and even freak own goals. But a win against Bournemouth could be the catalyst for a great escape on a par with Steve McQueen’s in the famous war movie (okay, I know he screwed it up with safety in sight, but you get my drift).

The Gas have lost five of their last six games and are propping up the table, but boss Dave Penney has identified their forthcoming fixtures as key ones in the fight to beat the drop. He told the local press: "We have four out of our next five games at home now, so it's vital we start picking points up. Everybody is down and disappointed with the results and the position we're in, but it can change quickly if we do the right things.

"When we play the bigger games we can raise ourselves – we did it against Swindon and we did ok against Brighton in terms of performance. We have to make sure we do it again tonight."

He must be envious of tonight’s opponents who are chasing their second successive promotion. He compared the Cherries to his former club and said:

"We did the same at Doncaster. You get some sort of momentum going, get promoted and then get it going again. The team gets used to winning games – and we are going through the opposite at the moment because we have got used to losing games and it drains your confidence. As soon as we can change that cycle and start having an up, I'm sure we can string a few results together. It's what we do that concerns me rather than who we are playing."

Penney is going to have to hope that the Gasheads stick with him and get behind his side rather than jeering them as some of them have done too readily this season. He probably envies Bradbury who said:

“Since I took over, the supporters have got right behind us and away from home, have travelled in their numbers and it's a massive boost for the lads. Rovers will be like Walsall and a very hard place to go to and get a result and we will need the supporters to pull us through like they did on Saturday.

''Rovers are fighting for their lives and it will be very tough and at this stage of the season, it's a big and crucial game. Rovers are on a poor run, but that will mean nothing on the night as they will put everything in to it. If we start to think for a minute that the points are in the bag, then we will get our comeuppance.'

'They have some good players and I'm surprised they are where they are. We have to go there with the right attitude, work hard and play the way we play and hopefully that will be enough to get a positive result.”

On Saturday I saw a similar tussle in the Championship – promotion chasing Cardiff against strugglers Scunthorpe – and to be fair to the Iron, even though they lost the game, they fought tooth and nail.

They weren’t pretty to watch, but frankly who gives a toss about style if you’re a Rovers fan. It’s points they need and Penney will take them any way they come.