Phil Bater is one of only twenty men who have made over 300 league appearances for Bristol Rovers, and one of only four men to have managed the club on two separate occasions. Full-back Bater spent the majority of his playing days with Rovers, his time at the club spanning a twelve-year period from 1974 to 1986 interrupted by a two-year stint at Wrexham in the early '80s. In all he made 310 league appearances for The Gas, scoring just three times, before leaving the club to join Brentford.