Darlington travel to Bristol Rovers this weekend and will be looking to get back on track with three points. Two disappointing results mean that Quakers look set to make changes to their side however Bristol Rovers have already been through the biggest change of all. Manager Ian Atkins has been relieved of his duties at the Memorial ground ahead of the game and assistant manager Mark Proctor thinks that this will make things a little more interesting.

"That makes it interesting," said Proctor in the Evening Gazette. "On the one hand they will be low on confidence and vulnerable, but on the other their players will be desperate to impress the new boss. We have to start brightly and get them on the back foot, and hope that the crowd gets frustrated. They are a big club and when the fans get behind them it is a tough place for away teams. We found that out last season when we were 3-1 up, but still had to settle for a draw. But we have had a good week in training after a poor performance last week, and are ready for the challenge. If we cut out the individual errors we believe we can beat any side in this division."

Rovers are currently lodged in 19th position in the table and have won just twice all season. The Gas are yet to win a home game at the memorial ground but this does not appear to have hindered the crowd. Indeed Rovers are expecting their biggest crowd of the season yet on Saturday. It appears that Paul Trollope's appointment as caretaker manager has gone a long way to buoying the support amongst the Gasheads

Following the change of management it means both Bristol clubs are looking for a new manager and the Rover captain John Anderson, who called a meeting for the players during the week following a 4-0 thumping against Chester, knows that it is up to the players now to perform.

"Obviously, we were really disappointed following last Saturday's result, John told bristolrovers.co.uk, "We still have to get our first win at home, so we are hoping to get that on Saturday afternoon, and also to put in a better performance for our fans. In spite of what people might think we do, as players, feel a responsibility. We sat down and watched a video of our first half performance on Monday morning, and I know the fans will find this hard to believe, but neither team played particularly well for 35 minutes and we didn't look as though we were going to concede any goals."

However conceding goals has been the problem for Rovers. They have let in  seventeen so far this season however thanks to the goals from Junior Agogo the Pirates have at least found goals at the other end. Following worries about both Matthew Clarke and Anthony Peacock it appears that the pair will be fit enough to take part in the game however Quakers are still expected to make changes ahead of the game. Rovers have no injury worries ahead of the game. The worst they have to deal with in on-loan Michael Leary being just one booking away from a suspension after picking up his fourth yellow card of the season last week.

Remember for all those not able to make the game full commentary is available via Quakers World and a full match report to follow. For all those travelling down have a safe trip.

Last ten meetings

2004/05
League 2	Bristol Rovers	3-3	Darlington	28-03-05
League 2	Darlington	0-1	Bristol Rovers	21-08-04
2003/04
Division 3	Bristol Rovers	0-3	Darlington	14-02-04
Division 3	Darlington	0-4	Bristol Rovers	11-10-03
2002/03
Division 3	Bristol Rovers	2-1	Darlington	26-04-03
Division 3	Darlington	1-0	Bristol Rovers	05-10-02
2001/02
Division 3	Bristol Rovers	1-0	Darlington	29-12-01
Division 3	Darlington	1-0	Bristol Rovers	27-08-01
1986/87
Division 3 (Old)	Bristol Rovers	2-1	Darlington	30-04-87
Division 3 (Old)	Darlington	1-1	Bristol Rovers	03-03-87

Orient's last five games