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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
David Byrom

Who impressed for Bristol Rovers in big win over St Mochta's

Bristol Rovers have netted 17 goals in two pre-season games as they ran out 7-0 victors over St Mochta's in Ireland.

With a different 11 playing each half for the Gas, here is who we were impressed by in the victory.

Tom Nichols

The striker showed off his finishing ability throughout the first half, with three completely different types of goals.

Nichols' first was a piece of quick thinking as a loose ball broke to him in the box - with his back to goal, he noticed a yard of space behind him and turned to thump the ball into the top of the net.

The second was a great header, making space for himself in the box and heading the ball into the far corner with a surprising amount of power that left the keeper no chance.

Then his third goal, two minutes later, showcased a cool head as he finished from six yards.

This may only be a friendly against a third-tier Irish side, but it is still good to see Nichols among the goals - the sort of performance that should provide a confidence boost.

Luke Leahy

Luke Leahy has signed for Bristol Rovers (Bristol Rovers)

He grabbed two assists in the first half and consistently found space on the left wing, pushing forward well to provide an outlet for cross-field passes.

He never did anything too flash, instead opting to put the ball into the box most of the time, and it paid off as Rovers' strikers continually found space.

It was encouraging how quickly he linked up with his new teammates and certainly bodes well for future performances.

Josh Hare

Playing on the right wing, Hare made full use of the width of the pitch until he tended to float inside in the final third to create space.

It enabled him to set up a goal and also score one with a very well-taken finish into the far post.

Not everything came off for him, with a couple of poor touches, but he showed an ability to move into space and also had some nicely-timed runs that the likes of Liam Sercombe and Ollie Clarke looked for.

He also looked to place some expansive passes and mixed up his end product nicely.

Does not look quite the finished product on the wing but certainly looks like he has the ability to excel at full-back.

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