The 24 teams that will take part in Sky Bet League One in the 2023/24 season were confirmed at the end of May.
Here, dcfc.co.uk will take a look at each one in focus ahead of the new campaign getting underway at the start of August.
In this instalment, Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers.
Fact File
Established: 1883
Nickname: The Gas
Home: Memorial Stadium (11,000 capacity)
Manager: Joey Barton
2022/23 finish: 17th (Sky Bet League One)
Club History
Founded in 1883 as ‘Black Arabs FC,’ the club officially changed it’s name to Bristol Rovers 16 years later in 1899.
Prior to the 1930s, the club wore black and yellow and black and white as their predominant home strip before changing to the blue they are known with today.
Their nickname, ‘The Gas,’ comes from the gasworks that was situated next to their former home, Eastville Stadium.
The highest position Rovers have ever achieved is sixth in the second tier and they have done so twice, once in 1955/56 and again in 1958/59.
Played For Both
Calum MacDonald
Left-back Calum MacDonald was a part of the youth set-up with the Rams and signed his first ever professional contract with Derby back in 2016.
He made almost 60 appearances for the Under-21s, helping them to promotion to the top flight of Premier League 2, but despite featuring on the bench for the first-team on numerous occasions, he never went on to make his debut with the senior squad.
After spells with Blackpool, Tranmere Rovers and Stockport County, MacDonald signed for the Gas in January 2023. He made just four appearances in total for Rovers before being released at the end of the campaign and is now with Nigel Clough's Mansfield Town.
Luke Thomas
Like MacDonald, Luke Thomas is another player that was more of a mainstay in the youth set-up with the Rams.
After a trial with Benfica in 2015, the attacker signed a professional contract with the Rams in 2016 after being signed from Cheltenham Town.
He featured numerous times for the Under-18s and Under-21s but made just two first-team appearances, both off the bench, before signing for Barnsley for an undisclosed fee in 2019 after a loan spell at Coventry City.
Thomas remains with the Tykes now but he had a season-long loan with the Gas in the 2021/22 season and featured 32 times, helping Rovers earn promotion to Sky Bet League One.
Alefe Santos
Brazilian midfielder Alefe Santos started his professional career with the Gas and made his debut for the club in 2012 at just 17-years-old.
After impressing during his spell with Rovers, he joined the Rams as a 19-year-old but after featuring heavily for the Under-21s side, he made just one appearance in the first-team, replacing Johnny Russell for the final 20 minutes in a 1-0 League Cup victory over Charlton Athletic in 2014.
2022/23 Season
The 2022/23 season was the first for Rovers in Sky Bet League One following their dramatic promotion from Sky Bet League Two in the previous year on the final day of the season.
It was an indifferent season in terms of results for the Gas but ultimately, they consolidated their place in the division and finished comfortably above the drop zone in 17th place and they willl be looking to kick on again next term.
Record Against The Rams
Bristol Rovers and Derby County have only locked horns 29 times in all competitions throughout the years and their first meeting didn’t come until 1953.
The Rams edge the head-to-head statistics between the two having won 13 times to Rovers’ nine whilst on seven occasions the two have played out a draw.
Last season was the first time the two sides had met since 2007 and the first time since 1993 that they faced off in league action.
Paul Warne side were able to take four points off of Joey Barton’s side after a thrilling 4-2 victory at Pride Park Stadium in October, with David McGoldrick scoring a first half hat-trick, was added to by a 1-1 draw at the Memorial Stadium in April.