 The following season, he scored the only goal of the game as Rovers beat local rivals Bristol City for the first time in ten meetings.He was loaned by Rovers to their local rivals Bristol City in February 1982, when City were in a financial crisis that saw them come very close to extinction and lose many of their players.He returned to Bristol Rovers and became a regular in their side, playing 184 times and scoring 11 goals in five seasons.