Bristol Rovers transfer deadline day: Aston Villa and Stockport defenders announced

Bristol Rovers are on the search for new players as Joey Barton looks to bolster his squad to help his ambitions of gaining a second consecutive promotion.

'Dying embers' is a phrase that Barton loves to use, and that could be the case for today. No new names have popped up over the last week and so any player now could be someone that the Gas fans have not heard of before. The loan market is where Rovers have found value for money, with the relatively unknown Elliot Anderson joining on a season-long loan, and the rest was history.

Three new faces have arrived this month and all made their debuts in the 5-1 thrashing to Morecambe on the weekend. Ellery Balcombe replaced James Belshaw in between the sticks, meanwhile Jarell Quansah made his first start in professional football and Grant Ward made his first appearance in 11 weeks. Barton has spoken of an emphasis on recruiting young players and is willing to sign more loan players, despite there being a limit of five in a match-day squad.

In his post-match analysis, he did not rule more players departing the Memorial Stadium, with any departure now coming as a shock. It is surprising that Aaron Collins, who is one of the leading players in the division, has not had any speculation this month, but that is music to their ears, as losing him would be a massive blow.

Keep up to date with our transfer live blog, as we keep an eye on Bristol Rovers and their League One rivals, in what promises to be another busy day.