Bristol Rovers second-spell successes as Luke McCormick makes welcomed return

Bristol Rovers reunited with Luke McCormick after making a breakthrough in their negotiations with AFC Wimbledon.

McCormick’s return is a welcomed one as Rovers are thin in the attacking area and that was an area of priority for first-team manager Joey Barton.

It is sometimes said in football however that you shouldn’t go back to your former club and you should always look ahead.

Some players return to clubs as it’s where they enjoyed their time, often reuniting with former teammates and even a manager in their second spell.

Returning to a club where you may have left a legacy and then having to live up to your past success can sometimes be a burden.

We take a look at some players that have had more than one spell at the Memorial Stadium, judging whether it’s right or wrong to go back to a club more than once.

Aaron Collins

Some may not know that Collins is into his second spell with Rovers, if you count his time here as a youth player. Up until the age of 16-years-old, Collins was a part of the academy, but left to join Newport County.

Collins very nearly fell out of the game after not being offered a scholarship and reportedly took a job in McDonalds before now Walsall manager Mike Flynn saved him. The rest is history as he made his EFL debut with them before a spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers where he had multiple loans, before succeeding at Morecambe, Forest Green and now Rovers.

It took time for Collins to settle in at the Mem as a senior player and he had to wait until November for a goal but after that, he became their top scorer and has continued his form into this season.

Chris Lines

After initially being released, Lines found his way back into the Rovers after hard work and determination, going on to become an important figure in the team. He may not have played in the League Two play-off final but still played a part that season and later became the part of the side that reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Lines was committed to Rovers but eventually had to part when they went down and Sheffield Wednesday came in.

He did find his way back however, helping his side win promotion from the Conference Premier and then League Two once more, adding another four years to his time at the club in the space of two permanent and one loan spells. He eventually had to depart again and now finds himself at Bath City, if you count the fact he scored against Northampton Town for Stevenage last season, you could say he played a part in helping his former team get promoted again.

Paul Randall

Born in Liverpool but most remembered for his time in the West Country, Randall was playing in the non-league with Glastonbury Town and Frome after being rejected by Bristol City and released by Rovers during his youth career, it would end up being costly as Rovers then had to pay £2,000 to sign him back, which meant Randall could stop woking in the supermarket and return to football.

He scored 33 goals in 52 games in his first professional spell and that attracted the attention of Stoke City, who successfully bought him for £180,000 which is a big return on the fee paid the summer before. His time at Stoke was two years but he was unable to recapture his form and with that, he returned to Rovers where he played more games and scored more goals.

In a six-year spell, Randall scored 62 goals in 184 appearances which was a decent return for him, but the club struggled during the mid 1980’s after first being relegated and then failing to bounce back.

Ian Holloway

Ian Holloway had three spells as a player at Rovers, which is where he enjoyed his football most, making 397 league appearances for the club. His second spell is where he was successful, winning the third division in the early 1900’s, whilst in his third stint, he became a player-manager for a number of years, leading them to the play-offs once.

Alfie Biggs

An absolute legend of the club and it came as no surprise that he’s part of the Hall of Fame. Bristol-born Biggs began his career at Rovers having studied in the area and scored 77 goals in 214 games in an eight-year spell, but departed for Preston North End for a season, but once again Rovers came calling and he had another six years at the club, scoring 101 goals in 210 games, which was a much better return, which sometimes goes to show that returning to your old club isn’t always a pressurised situation.