Bristol Rovers trio followed by Austrian keeper amid Gas reunion at Mansfield Town

George Williams has joined Mansfield Town on a free transfer following his departure from Cambridge United, several former Bristol Rovers players.

Williams became a free agent last month, after his contract at Cambridge wasn't renewed and he sought pastures new. The 30-year-old has now dropped down a division to join the Stags, who are hopeful of mounting a play-off push this season.

His move to the Field Mill, sees him link up with Alfie Kilgour, who he played with at the Gas, and whilst he didn't play alongside them at Rovers, ex Rovers players Callum MacDonald, John-Joe O'Toole and Hiram Boateng are on their books. Williams made 26 appearances for Rovers after joining in January 2021 from MK Dons for an undisclosed fee, but following the departure of Paul Tisdale, and their relegation to League Two, Williams opted to join Cambridge United.

“George gives us the defensive cover we’ve been looking for," said first-team manager Nigel Clough when Williams was unveiled.

"He’s got good experience and has spent most of his career in League One. He’s played with a number of our players before at his previous clubs, who gave us a good reference of his character.

“We’re very pleased to get the final defensive piece in place.”

Meanwhile, eagle-eyed Bristol Rovers fans have spotted that Austrian goalkeeper Martin Fraisl has began following Rovers on Instagram, as well as owner Wael al-Qadi, and first-team manager Joey Barton. Supporters have kept an eye on al-Qadi's Instagram profile when looking for information on new signings. Neither the club, Wael or Barton are following Fraisl back however.

Fraisl is a free agent, after his contract with German club Arminia Bielefeld expired following their relegation to the third tier. The 30-year-old has mainly played in Austria, but has had spells in Romania, Germany and the Netherlands. He made 29 appearances last year, conceding 52 goals and keeping two clean sheets.

Joey Barton did though post some content however from their first day of their warm weather training camp in Portugal. In the picture, it looks to be Luke Thomas, Aaron Collins, James Connolly, Sam Finley, Antony Evans, and James Gibbons doing a drill, and then in the video there are more players involved.

He captioned it with: " #2nd session of the day complete out here in Algarve, Portugal. Great week ahead of us. Finishing off with a tough game against @sportingclubdebraga at the weekend. #UTG."

Rovers arrived in Portugal yesterday, and will spend the next week there, with a friendly against Braga organised on Saturday 22nd July at Lagos Stadium. It is the second year in a row that they have gone to the Iberian Peninsula for their pre-season preparations.