Bristol Rovers 1-2 Exeter City
Sky Bet League One, The Memorial Stadium, Saturday 12 April 2025
A torrid run of form for Bristol Rovers continued as the Gas fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Exeter City.
Caleb Watts put the visitors in front early on, against the run of play, with a first-time effort, before Reece Cole volleyed in the Grecian’s second to put real pressure on the Pirates.
The home side fought tooth-and-nail for a route back into the fixture, grabbing a deserved finish through Ruel Sotiriou’s well-taken effort on 70 minutes.
But despite close strikes from Sotiriou again and Kofi Shaw, Rovers were unable to complete the comeback and fell to a sixth straight league defeat; one that puts the Gas inside the League One relegation zone after results elsewhere.
Rovers started Saturday’s outing in the ascendancy, playing brightly and looking the more likely of the two teams to take the advantage. It was a major gut punch then, when the Grecians first effort of the match gave them the lead.
It was fortuitous for the visitors too. James WIlson’s clearance was lacking in power, falling kindly for the oncoming Watts. The Australian struck the ball first time, sweeping in the opening goal against the early run of play.
The hosts were knocked by the finish but settled to finally get a notable chance away on 21 minutes. Gatlin O’Donkor set Romaine Sawyers for a low cross which Sotiriou connected with, forcing Whitworth into a low save.
The Cypriot again went close before the half-hour mark when he cleverly tricked his way past an ongoing defender, only for Whitworth to again be equal to the attempt.
But again, just as it seemed Rovers were set to find a way onto the score-sheet, Exeter pounced again. Cole was in the right place, volleying home from Jack McMillian’s cross to put the visitors firmly in control at half-time.
Iñigo Calderón made a double change at half-time with Isaac Hutchinson and Luke Thomas entering the fray in place of Grant Ward and Matt Butcher. Thomas was immediately involved, fizzing a powerful ball across goal that caused havoc.
A tense twenty-minute period followed, one that Exeter sought to manage with various gamesmanship tactics, but the Gas sparked into life on 70 minutes when Sotiriou got a deserved goal, squeezing in a low effort under Whitworth to reduce the deficit.
The strike roared the majority in The Mem to life and, just moments later, Kofi Shaw went a whisker away from equalising; his 25 yard effort narrowly wide of the near post.
Another Sotiriou effort was cleared off the line while Hutchinson fired over from distance and, with eight minutes of added time at the end of the second half, there was always a glimmer of hope for the hosts.
But the crucial equaliser did not materialise, meaning defeat again for Rovers.
Bristol Rovers: J. Ward, Wilson ©, G. Ward (Thomas 46), Sotiriou, Sawyers, Taylor, O’Donkor (Dewsbury 69), Swinkels (Sinclair 69), Butcher (Hutchinson 46), Hunt, Shaw
Subs not used: Hall (GK), Moore, Mola
Goals: Sotiriou 70,
Booked: Sawyers,
Exeter City: Whitworth, McMillan, Hartridge, Fitzwater ©, Cole (Colwill 59), Niskanen, Watts (Francis 74), Cox (MacDonald 85), Turns, McDonald (Woods 59), Yogane (Harper 59)
Subs not used: Oluwabori, Richards
Goals: Watts 11, Cole 42,
Booked: McDonald, Watts, Whitworth, McMillan
Referee: Matthew Russell
Attendance: 9,508
