Former Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and Peterborough star qualifies for Europe

One former Robin and Gas player will be hitting the continent with his current club
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One former Bristol City and Bristol Rovers player will get the taste of European football for the first time this summer…

Mark Little has qualified for the Europa Conference League’s qualifying rounds with Welsh club Penybont. The Bridgend-based side finished third in the Cymru Premier (the Welsh top flight) and after The New Saints’ 6-0 win over Bala Town, their qualification was confirmed.

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He has qualified alongside former Bristol Rovers youth midfielder Lewis Clutton and now the pair can look forward to a trip on the continent. Penybont could play against Northern Irish side Linfield, Irish outfit Dundalk as well as many others.

Little joined the Welsh side in the summer after being released by Yeovil Town. The 34-year-old made 32 appearances across all competitions this season and kept 10 clean sheets.

Little played for both Bristol clubs but had more success on the red side of the city. He made 102 appearances for Robins and played a big part in them winning League One and the EFL Trophy in 2015.

He stayed at Ashton Gate for two more seasons and made 51 appearances for Steve Cotterill’s side in the Championship but left for Bolton Wanderers, where he played for two years.

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Little joined Rovers in the summer of 2019 and made 16 appearances that year. he played a further seven times in the 2020/21 campaign which is when they were relegated to League Two. He spent one season at Yeovil Town and helped them survive having made 20 appearances before moving to Penybont.

He is not the only former Rovers player to qualify for Europe, as both Rory Gaffney and Cian Bolger could be involved in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League. Gaffney - crowned Irish Footballer of the Year - won the League of Ireland with Shamrock Rovers, whilst Bolger helped Larne to their first NIFL Premiership title.

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