Rovers Beat Cambridge 2-0 to Reach FA Cup Second Round
Bristol Rovers beat Cambridge United 2-0 on Friday night to reach the second round of the FA Cup, the knockout competition that clubs from across English football enter. Reiss Russell-Denny and Fabrizio Cavegn scored the goals, both in the second half at Memorial Stadium.
Rovers play in League Two, the fourth tier of the English league system. Cambridge are in League One, the third tier, one level higher. Kick-off was at 19:30, and the home side needed the second half to settle it.
Russell-Denny is an on-loan midfielder from Tottenham Hotspur. "On loan" means he is playing for Rovers on a temporary move while still under contract at his parent club. He scored the first of the two goals, and Cavegn added the second. Bristol Rovers confirmed both scorers after the match.
The win also ended a difficult run. Rovers had gone six matches without a win before this game. Their record in this competition had been steady, too. They had got through their previous seven first-round ties, and their last exit at this stage came in the 2018-19 season, according to The FA.
Cambridge had good reason to feel hard done by. They had already beaten Rovers 2-0 in the Carabao Cup, the League Cup, earlier in the same season. This FA Cup meeting was the third time the two clubs had met at Memorial Stadium that season. This time the result went the other way. Cambridge's FA Cup run is over, as Cambridge United reported.
Cambridge had made the trip with plenty of support. Over 200 of their fans sang from the away end, according to the club. Rovers made five changes to their line-up for the tie, and manager Steve Evans spoke to the media after the final whistle.
For Rovers, the next job is simple to describe. They have a second-round tie to prepare for, and a run of matches that has at least stopped going the wrong way. For Cambridge, the trip home from Bristol will be a long one after a game that slipped away in the second half.
