Rovers striker Martin to miss rest of season

Chris Martin is out of contract this summer at Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers striker Chris Martin has been ruled out for the rest of the season after having surgery on his knee.

The 36-year-old has missed Rovers' past two matches - the defeats against Huddersfield and Crawley on Saturday - with an injury not initially thought to be severe.

However, he underwent an operation this week and will not feature for the League One side again this campaign.

"He had an operation everything went well with his knee, everything is good now but he's not going to play," manager Inigo Calderon told BBC Radio Bristol.

"He was thinking at the beginning it was nothing after he played. After, there was something different [but] we thought it was going to be something quite quick but it was not like that.

"It was a big blow obviously because of the player, you don't want a player to be injured and secondly as a coach you don't want to lose a player like Chris. He was scoring goals but there's nothing we can do anymore."

Martin, who is out of contract this summer, was Bristol Rovers' top scorer during 2023-24 with 16 but has struggled to replicate the same form this campaign.

He missed the first four matches of the season due to a suspension and then a further two months until late October after breaking his fibula. He has has found the target five times, with two in his last match, the 3-2 win against Bolton on 11 March.

His injury means Calderon is without two forwards for the final eight matches of the season, with Promise Omochere also ruled out with a hamstring injury earlier this month.

"I changed the shape because we had two strikers in form, we had Promise back we had Chris Martin back. I said OK we have to play with two strikers, it doesn't matter the formation," Calderon added.

"[Now] we miss the both of them."

Bristol Rovers next face Mansfield at home on Saturday and sit precariously in 20th in the table, six points clear of safety - although with a game in hand on Burton directly below them.

Defeat away to fellow strugglers Crawley on Saturday saw them register just one shot on target and means they have lost six out of their past seven games away from home.

"After Crawley I was really disappointed, after the game I was really down because it was not a team that I wanted to coach," Calderon said.

"It was a difficult Sunday as well, but after that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we trained so good. I think the boys everybody here in the building react in a good way."