Bristol Rovers 0-2 Cardiff City
Pre-season fixture, The Memorial Stadium, Saturday 3 August 2024
A top-class finish in each half saw Bristol Rovers defeated 2-0 by Cardiff City in their final pre-season test.
Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring for Cardiff on 28 minutes with a well-taken strike before Joe Ralls netted an even better goal eleven minutes into the second half, finding the top corner from outside the area.
Rovers saw their own chances limited against the Championship opponent, but Taylor Moore, Grant Ward and Isaac Hutchinson all went close for the Gas.
The visitors enjoyed the first real chance of the match just nine minutes in when Ollie Tanner fizzed a low effort wide.
The Gas saw too half-chances go begging not long after. First, Promise Omochere skipped into a dangerous area only for his effort to go wide amid pressure from the Cardiff defence, before Taylor Moore headed just wide of the far post from a well-worked corner.
Grant Ward continued Rovers’ pressure with a curling effort from distance before goalkeeper Girffiths was called into action. The loanee make a superb save to deny Tanner’s poked effort from close range and, less than a minute later, tipped Yaou Meite’s header onto the cross-bar.
The Championship side would take the lead from their third attempt in quick succession though as Ramsey struck sweetly from distance, finding the top corner.
Isaac Hutchinson forced Cardiff goalkeeper Ethan Horvath into his first save of the afternoon just before half-time with a low effort after good pressure, but the away side kept their lead for the interval.
Cardiff continued their pressure into the second half and, eleven minutes in, the Bluebirds had their second with a similarly sensational strike. This time, captain Ralls collected the ball outside the area and curled in an unstoppable effort into the top corner.
Matt Taylor introduced five new substitutes on the hour mark and two of them combined for Rovers’ best chance of the half. Luke Thomas fed Luke McCormick, but the No23 could only scoop his effort over the bar.
Rubin Colwill almost added a third finish for Cardiff with a powerful long-ranged effort but the Championship team had already done their damage, claiming the win.
Bristol Rovers: Griffiths, Senior (Hunt 64), Moore, Wilson, Mola, Bilongo, Conteh (Lindsay 64), Ward (Garrett 64), Hutchinson (McCormick 64), Sinclair (Shaw 74), Omochere (Thomas 64)
Subs not used: Hall, Taylor, Forbes
Cardiff City: Horvath, Siopis, Goutas, Ralls, Ramsey, O’Dowda, Chambers, Willock, Meite, Tanner, Ng
Subs: Alnwich, Dennis, Gbadehan, Hanga, Bagan, King, Colwill, Conte, Davies, Giles, Ashford
Goals: Ramsey 28, Ralls 56,
Attendance: 3251 (1,446 away)