Bristol Rovers fell to a Boxing Day defeat away at fellow South West outfit Exeter City in front of new head coach Inigo Calderon as Promise Omochere’s opener was cancelled out by late goals from Jack Fitzwater, Millenic Alli and Jake Richards.
Both teams could have broken the deadlock within the opening 10 minutes as Ilmari Niskanen saw a header graze the side netting before good work from Promise Omochere saw the striker nick the ball off of Ed Francis before squaring to Isaac Hutchinson whose effort was well-blocked by ex-Gas loanee Ryan Woods.
A frantic opening quarter of the match continued as Josh Griffiths was required to produce a vital save from Millenic Alli before Ed Franics drilled a vicious effort onto the outside of the post from distance.
Rovers kept themselves in the contest and looked threatening on the break with Shaq Forde firing narrowly wide before falling victim to good defending after snatching the ball from Woods.
Isaac Hutchinson also fancied his luck when standing over a free-kick from some way out which he fired wide.
The Rovers midfielder thought he had given his team the lead in the second half as he headed home at the back post after a sharp move but the offside flag was eventually raised well into the celebrations in front of a barmy away end.
Just moments later and the travelling Gasheads were allowed to celebrate for real as Forde forced a good save from Joe Whitworth but the rebound fell to an alert Omochere in the area to score his second goal in as many matches.
The Gas could’ve doubled their lead soon after as Forde forced another good save from the Exeter goalkeeper on loan from Crystal Palace before he tipped over an effort from Clinton Mola following the resulting corner.
They were then made to pay as Jack Fitzwater headed home at the back post from a corner with just over 15 minutes to go as defending set pieces once again proved to be an issue for the Gas.
Rovers should have retaken the lead when Scott Sinclair was found in acres of space just moments after coming on but the captain’s first contribution was to fire a shot well over the bar.
Only a few minutes later and the visitors found themselves behind as Alli was allowed time and space in the penalty area to turn and fire home.
The Gas felt aggrieved that they weren’t awarded a late penalty when Sinclair was brought down in the area but the challenge still saw Gatlin O’Donkor set up for a tap in that was well-saved by Whitworth from point-blank range.
Exeter then secured the victory in the final minute of added time, catching Rovers on the break as Jake Richards bundled the ball home.
The defeat sees the Gas remain in 19th place, three points clear of the relegation zone with Calderon set to start work on Friday afternoon.
The Spaniard arrives at Rovers having been the manager of Brighton Under-18s for the past 18 months and took the chance to meet his new supporters pre-match, doing a lap of the away end while stopping for handshakes and photo opportunities.
Calderon will take charge of his first game on December 29 away at Stevenage before being in the Mem dugout for the first time on New Year’s Day when the Gas host Leyton Orient.
Exeter: Fitzwater 72’, Alli 78’, Richards 90+6’
Bristol Rovers: Omochere 61’