History of Bristol Rovers F.C. - The 1990s

The 1990s

Success in the league was achieved by Gerry Francis in his third season as Bristol Rovers manager. The team won the 1989–90 third division championship, clinching promotion on 2 May 1990 with a 3–0 victory over local rivals Bristol City, who finished second and were also promoted. This match inspired the title of a former Bristol Rovers fanzine, The Second of May. The championship winning season was rounded off by the club's first ever appearance at Wembley Stadium, where they lost 2–1 to Tranmere Rovers in the final of the Leyland DAF Cup. 32,000 Rovers fans travelled to Wembley for the match, which was also attended by cult band (and Tranmere fans) Half Man Half Biscuit, who later performed Goodnight Irene on John Peel's radio show as a tribute to the Bristol Rovers fans on that day.

The following season Rovers suffered a second fire at their ground. Ten years after the fire at Eastville, the main stand at Twerton Park was damaged on 16 September 1990 in what was later found to be an arson attack. Seven Bristol City fans were later tried and convicted of the crime.

The first two seasons back in the Second Division saw Rovers finish a credible 13th place, their highest in the league since the 1950s. In the 1990–91 season the side were outsiders for play-off place before petering out in mid-table. Gerry Francis left for QPR and was succeeded by Martin Dobson, who left following a dismal start to 1991–92. Dennis Rofe brought a turnaround in form to finish mid-table.

Rovers' third season in the second tier of the league resulted in relegation. Dennis Rofe was sacked following another awful start, and veteran manager Malcolm Allison was appointed in an effort to turn things round, without much success. John Ward in turn replaced Allison near the end of the season, but little improvement followed. At the end of the 1992–93 season, Rovers were bottom of the division, now known as Division One due to the creation of the FA Premier League. The club made their most expensive signing ever during this season, buying Andy Tillson from QPR for £370,000.

A second appearance at Wembley was earned at the end of the 1994–95 season, in the Second Division play-off final. Rovers lost by the same scoreline as their only other game to be played there – 2–1. This time the opponents were Huddersfield Town, and the attendance of 59,175 is the second highest ever at a Bristol Rovers game. Also during this season, Rovers faced their landlords, Bath City, in the first round of the FA Cup. Rovers won the game 5–0, and unusually for a game involving a league team, there was no fan segregation. The following season Rovers failed to make a serious challenge for the play-offs, resulting in the sacking of John Ward and his replacement by former player Ian Holloway.

Rovers' return to Bristol was at the beginning of the 1996–97 season. Bristol Rugby Club were experiencing financial difficulties, and offered Rovers the opportunity to buy half of the Memorial Ground (now called The Memorial Stadium) for £2.3 million. The stadium was not ready for league football however, and the first game of the season was played at Twerton Park. The return to Bristol was finally achieved for the second home game of the season against Stockport County, a game that was drawn 1–1. The Bristol Rovers home kit for this season featured an unusual striped quartered design, known to the club's fans as the Tesco bag shirts in reference to the company's blue and white striped carrier bags. This design was not universally popular, and prompted the Trumpton Times fanzine to change its name to Wot, No Quarters?.

On 17 April 1998, Bristol Rugby Club were placed in receivership, invoking a clause in the tenancy agreement allowing Rovers to buy the other half of the Memorial Ground for £100,000. Rovers now owned their own stadium for the first time since 1939.

Honours

• Barclays League Division 3 – 1989–90
• Gloucestershire Cup – 1989–90, 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95