The cruel Bristol Rovers stat which shows exactly where things went wrong in relegation campaign

It has been a tough season for Bristol Rovers as their relegation from League One has been confirmed. The Gas face the drop alongside Shrewsbury Town, Cambridge United and Crawley Town, having finished the campaign in 22nd place with just 43 points on the board.

Rovers are eyeing immediate promotion back up the third tier, with influential club figure Darrell Clarke set to spearhead their 2025/26 efforts. The 47-year-old returns to the Memorial Ground following the dismissal of Inigo Calderon.

Fans and pundits alike have been discussing what went wrong for Bristol Rovers this season and there is a glaring stat that poses as a clear cut answer to that question.

Damning Bristol Rovers stat that contributed to relegation

The Pirates finished the season way down the scale with one of the lowest goal returns in League One. With just 44 goals scored, only three teams found the back of the net fewer times this campaign. Wigan Athletic had the lowest goal tally with 40, followed by basement side Shrewsbury Town (41) and Stevenage (42).

Rovers’ struggles to get the ball in the net is further amplified by another cruel stat. According to FotMob statistics, the Gas missed a total of 44 big goal-scoring chances this season, meaning they squandered the same amount of clear opportunities as they actually scored goals.

Had Rovers been more clinical in front of goal, the outcome of this season could have been very different. While the stat of missing 44 big chances is actually one of the lowest from this season, it still makes for grim reading for fans, knowing their forwards could have done more.

Bristol Rovers to push for promotion under Darrell Clarke

Following the disappointment of this season, Gasheads will be hoping to see their team achieve promotion at the first time of asking. With former manager Clarke returning to the hilt, confidence is starting to rise ahead of the new campaign.

Former Rovers midfielder Chris Lines, who enjoyed two different spells at the club, played under Clarke for three years and believes bringing the 47-year-old back to the Memorial Ground was a smart move from the club ahead of their promotion fight.

“He's the best manager I ever worked with and got on with as a friend and manager. It is the perfect choice,” Lines told BBC Radio Bristol. “He's got a tough job ahead of him, but he did last time. He's got serial success, he's a serial winner. He will eliminate the negativity around the place. Everyone loves him.”

Clarke has guided the Gas to promotion on two occasions as manager. In 2015, Rovers secured their place back in the Football League after their triumph in the Conference promotion play-off final against Grimsby Town.

Clarke and Rovers achieved a second consecutive promotion the following year, returning to League One after another play-off success story. Clarke has been through the ultimate highs and lows with this club and fans will be relying on him to deliver once again.