Bristol Rovers

Attendance: 6,351 (48)

Rovers lost at the Memorial Stadium for the second time in a week going down 0-1 to Accrington Stanley.

Substitute Billy Kee scored an acrobatic effort with his first touch of the game to secure all three points for Stanley.

Darrell Clarke made two changes to the side that lost to Oxford United at the Mem last week handing new load signing Lee Nicholls his Rovers debut and bringing Ellis Harrison back into the starting 11 at the expense of Jermaine Easter who took a place among the substitutes.

The Rovers boss opted for a change in shape from the 3-5-2, switching to a 4-3-1-2 with Stuart Sinclair playing off of a front two of Ellis Harrison and Matty Taylor.

Rovers started what was a slow opening 45 well playing some lovely stuff along the ground in the middle of the park without actually creating anything of note.

Accrington looked solid at the back but offered very little in the way of attacking momentum with two corners which the Rovers back line cleared with ease.

The home sides best chance of the half came just before half time as a Chris Lines corner was met at the near post by the head of Ollie Clarke forcing a decent reaction save from Jason Mooney in the Stanley goal.

Darrell Clarke changed shape for the second half, reverting to a 3-5-2 which almost paid off immediately as Stuart Sinclair's ball from the right hand side was headed by Harrison into the hands of Mooney for the first shot on target of the whole game.

The home side created more in the second period which lifted the crowd and a lung busting run from Stuart Sinclair won Rovers a free kick. Chris Lines took the free kick which was met by the head of Matty Taylor who couldn't direct the ball goalwards.

However it was the visitors that took the lead through substitute Billy Kee. Following an Accrington corner the ball was hit up into the air and substitute Kee stabbed the ball home acrobatically with his first touch of the game.

Following the goal, Darrell Clarke changed personnel as Jermaine Easter replaced Matty Taylor and was instantly involved in the action playing a nice cushioned ball into Chris Lines which was turned behind for a blue and white corner.

Lines took the corner which Stanley cleared as far as Lee Brown who tried his luck from long range but his shot was never going to trouble Jason Mooney.

Rovers threw everything at Accrington in the final 10 minutes with efforts from Lee Brown and Tom Parkes going wide of the mark before Shay McCartan ran the length of the pitch on the counter attack forcing a save out of Lee Nicholls.

Accrington could have had a second in the dying seconds as Shay McCartan raced free of the Rovers defence before playing in Matt Crooks who scuffed his shot wide when it seemed easier to score.

Up next for Rovers is the trip to Home Park to take on Plymouth Argyle next weekend before Darrell Clarke's men entertain Portsmouth at the Memorial Stadium.

Rovers: Nicholls; Sinclair, J. Clarke, Lockyer, Parkes, Brown; Mansell (C) (Gosling - 65), O. Clarke (Bodin - 78), Lines, Taylor (Easter - 73), Harrison.

Unused Substitutes: Mildenhall (GK), Lyttle, Kilgour, Montano.

Accrington: Mooney; Pearson, Winnard, Davies, Buxton; Mconvile (McCartan - 65), Crooks, Conneely (Procter - 80), Mingoia; Windass (Kee - 65) Gornell (C).

Unused Substitutes: Etheridge (GK), Barry, Wakefield, Bruna.