Rovers travel to face Salford City in Sky Bet League Two this weekend.
Danny Schofield’s side are looking to make it back-to-back wins after beating AFC Wimbledon 2-1 last time out.
Salford currently occupy the final play-off spot and are six points ahead of Rovers, who have a game in hand of their opponents heading into Saturday’s game at the Peninsula Stadium.
The last meeting
Rovers came from behind to beat Salford at the Eco-Power Stadium in August.
The visitors went ahead 10 minutes in as Brandon Thomas-Asante tapped in from close range. Rovers then levelled in first-half injury time as Kyle Hurst superbly lifted the ball over Tom King in the Salford goal to score his first for the club.
Hurst would go on to be the match winner on 63 minutes, racing onto a through ball from Lee Tomlin and producing a clinical finish into the top corner.
Salford’s recent form
The Ammies have lost two of their previous six league outings, stretching back to a 1-1 draw at home to Harrogate Town on February 14.
Salford were then beaten at home to Swindon before responding with an emphatic 5-2 victory at fellow play-off chasers Mansfield Town.
They finished February with a solid point at Barrow, before beginning March with a 3-1 win at home to Newport County. Their last league game saw them come out on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller at Crewe, despite twice leading in the game at the Mornflake Stadium.
Key men
A product of the Wolves Academy, Elliot Watt made one first team during his time at Molineux which also included a loan spell at Carlisle United in 2020.
His performances there persuaded fellow Sky Bet League Two side Bradford City to sign him on a permanent deal that summer. He became an integral part of the Bantams side and made 96 appearances across two seasons in West Yorkshire before joining Salford for an undisclosed fee last summer.
Watt has been one of the standout players in the division so far this season, racking up 14 assists in Salford’s push for the play-offs.
Scottish striker Callum Hendry signed for Salford in the summer after spending all of his career prior to that north of the border. After coming through the ranks at St.Johnstone, Hendry has also had spells with Brechin, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
He scored 12 goals in the SPL last season and was subject of interest from several EFL clubs, but chose the Peninsula Stadium for his next move.
The 25-year-old has had a solid start to life with Salford, having scored eight goals in all competitions this season, including three in his last four appearances.
Veteran striker Matt Smith joined Salford in January 2022 after playing in the Championship for much of the past 10 years.
Having made a name for himself with Oldham, Smith earned a move to Leeds United in 2013 and scored 13 goals in 21 league starts before a move to Fulham at the end of that season. He went on to spend three years at Craven Cottage, which included a loan move to Bristol City, prior to a move across West London to QPR.
After 21 goals in 37 starts for the R’s he joined Millwall in 2019, where he continued to be a threat particularly in the air. He has scored nine goals so far this season for the Ammies, taking him to 91 league goals in his career.
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