Bristol Rovers v Northampton Town: Is it on TV, how to watch, injury and team news

Bristol Rovers revert their attention back to League Two this weekend as they welcome Northampton Town to the Memorial Stadium.

Joey Barton’s side fell to a 5-3 defeat to Exeter City in midweek, which saw them eliminated from the EFL Trophy.

They went in 5-0 down at the break but goals from stand-in captain Zain Westbrooke, Ryan Jones and Nick Anderton made the game closer than first expected.

With just the league and their FA Cup tie to think about, this will now be a chance to restart their season and improve their league standings.

Coming into town is Northampton, who currently occupy the last automatic promotion spot after a good start to the season. Jon Brady’s side have won eight, drawn three and lost four matches this season, giving them a nine-point gap over Rovers.

The Cobblers, like Rovers, suffered relegation from League One last season but have adapted to life in a new division better so far.

Despite finishing bottom last season, four of the 38 points the Pirates picked up last season came against Northampton with a win and a draw in October and later April.

What’s the latest team news for Bristol Rovers?

Withdrawing from international duty with Wales’ Under-21’s, Sion Spence is available for selection on Saturday. The on-loan Crystal Palace midfielder played in the ten role on Wednesday, playing behind compatriot Aaron Collins.

Given 11 changes were made on Wednesday and no substitutes made, there is an expectation that there will be wholesale changes and that the first-teamers will be brought back in.

James Belshaw, who has played a majority of the games this season between the sticks is the obvious choice to replace youngster Jed Ward.

One player who could miss out is Luke Thomas, who has suffered a toe injury. He hasn't trained ahead of Saturday's match so is a major doubt, but he could be available for Tuesday.

Low on numbers in attack, Sam Nicholson should be expected to return and partner Antony Evans in attack whilst Glenn Whelan will anchor an experienced midfield alongside partners Paul Coutts and Sam Finley.

One player who could survive the changes given his performance by scoring and assisting on his first start for the club is Ryan Jones who could at least force his way onto the bench.

What’s the latest team news for Northampton Town? 

Northampton didn’t play in midweek which will give them a bit of freshness leading into this one, their last outing was a 2-2 draw with Cambridge United in the FA Cup.

Injured during their match with Carlisle, right-back Aaron McGowan is a doubt. Last week there was an illness that swept through the team which kept a certain number of players sidelined. Michael Harriman, Jonny Maxted, Joseph Mills and Sid Nelson are all sidelined due to injury.

In terms of players to watch out for from the opposition, central midfielder Paul Lewis and experienced striker Sam Hoskins are both tied on four goals for Northampton this season.

The Rovers midfield will also have their work cut out as they’ll have to stop Mitch Pinnock, who has five assists so far.

He’s available tomorrow but one more yellow card for Shaun McWIlliams could see him serve a suspension after accumulating four yellow cards over 14 appearances.

Is the match on TV?

Sky Sports have chosen to broadcast Port Vale vs Bradford City at lunch-time, so Rovers will be playing at the normal kick-off time of 15.00 pm.

As the game is being played during the international break, Saturday’s game can be watched by those who aren’t making the trip to the Mem.

You can sign up to an iFollow subscription or for just £9.99, you can purchase a MatchDay pass which will give you the ability to watch the game.

BristolWorld will also be in attendance to bring you all the action from the match, where we’ll be analysing how the game went.

How can I watch highlights?

You won’t have to wait as long for highlights as the EFL on Quest is broadcasting at 21.00 pm, which saves you a good hour or so from when the League Two highlights are usually shown.

If you can’t wait then stick through Sky Sports News from 17.00 pm and you should be able to at least catch the goals.

Alternatively, the highlights of the match will become available both on Bristol Rovers’ iFollow page, as well as their YouTube channel.