On 31 January 2009, Bristol Rovers travelled to Essex to take on Southend United in a League One match. It was Rovers' 27th league game of the 2008-09 season, and it ended in a 1–0 defeat. Rovers coach Paul Trollope made a single change to the starting eleven in the previous game, a 3–2 win over Cheltenham Town, which saw Craig Disley replacing Chris Lines in the centre of midfield, while the only change on the bench was Lines taking the seat previously occupied by Disley. Unfortunately for the Pirates they couldn't repeat the match-winning performance, and they put in a rather disappointing display.