Matt Taylor drops Antony Evans, Bristol Rovers transfer claim as Huddersfield Town looms | OneFootball

The Gas made a lot of money from letting Evans leave this summer.

Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor has said that selling Antony Evans to this weekend's opponents, Huddersfield Town, in the summer was the right time to do it.

One of the biggest deals, financially, that Rovers made this summer was the one which saw Evans leave the club and head back up north to join the newly relegated Terriers.

The 26-year-old midfielder joined the club as a free agent in the summer of 2021, helped them to win promotion back to League One, and then netted the Gas a pretty penny when Huddersfield agreed to pay a fee in the region of £450,000 for him in July, according to Bristol Live.

Evans hasn't had a flying start to life under Michael Duff. He was an unused sub in Town's last league game, but he has scored twice and assisted once for them already this season.

This weekend, he could end up facing his old team again for the first time since leaving. If he's used by Duff, it will be interesting to see what sort of reaction he gets from the travelling Rovers supporters. One thing is for certain, though: Taylor has no regrets about letting him leave.

Matt Taylor on the decision to let Antony Evans leave Bristol Rovers

Rovers haven't faired amazingly well since Evans' departure, but they're not in a world of trouble. They sit on 13 points from their first 10 games, which has included a run of four straight losses.

Despite some early struggles, the club's manager seems happy with the decision to let the midfielder leave for this weekend's opponents.

They were able to use the money to help buy young Fleetwood Town forward Promise Omochere for a club record fee of around £500,000.

"He [Evans] did so well for this football club which is why we got such a good fee for him," said Taylor, via Bristol Live.

"It was his time and the right time for him to move on to pastures new. We wished him all the best when it did happen and we still wish him all the best.

"We don’t know what capacity he’ll feature in at the weekend but we know when he’s on the pitch that he’ll be a serious threat at any time, let alone dead ball situations.

"Everyone knows Evo far too well in terms of his success here. We have to find a way of keeping him and several others quiet at the weekend."

Huddersfield v Bristol Rovers will be a game of contrast

Both teams in the fixture won't be particularly pleased with the start they've had to their seasons. Where they do differ is the way in which they have ended up with their respective points tallies.

Rovers haven't kept a clean sheet in their last seven games in all competitions; Huddersfield haven't conceded in their last two.

Rovers' last seven games have all had three or more goals; four of Huddersfield's last five matches haven't reached three goals.

Those two polar opposite aspects coming together to meet each other this weekend could lead to a really unpredictable contest.