The opening stages of the game were well contested in the middle of the park, with the only half-chance coming from Bryant Bilongo, who put a low cross into the area that did not trouble the Glovers’ defence.

The first shot was fired in the 20th minute when a great spell of play from the Glovers saw Brett McGavin lay the ball into the path of Matt Worthington, who dragged his effort low and wide.

The visitors’ first shot at goal was more effective, as Scott Sinclair picked out the top corner from 20 yards out to make it 1-0 just before the half-hour mark.

Bryant Bilongo was one of the more standout players for Rovers as he continued to cause issues down the left wing. A number of crosses came through Rovers’ No. 27, but to no avail.

Ollie Wright was called into action on 36 minutes to deny Isaac Hutchinson. A short corner found the feet of Hutchinson, who curled it towards the far corner, but Wright was able to use every inch of his body to tip the ball around the post.

Aaron Jarvis gave the Glovers their first attempt on target in the 38th minute after beating his man to a cross from the left, but his headed effort was saved by Josh Griffiths.

Bristol Rovers had a big chance to double their lead a minute later when Scott Sinclair split the defence and only had Ollie Wright to beat but decided to try and loft the ball over the towering goalkeeper with little success as Wright collected.

They did, however, double their lead with almost the final kick of the half. Isaac Hutchinson hacked down Michael Smith before Kofi Shaw hijacked the ball and blasted an effort past Ollie Wright from a narrow angle to make it 2-0 at the break.

Bryant Bilongo continued to cause issues down the left with his pace in the second half. In the 54th minute, he put a deep cross in from the left which found Joel Senior, who headed goalwards but Ollie Wright made the save.

Moments later, Kofi Shaw had a chance to net his second of the evening when he made space on the edge of the area to shoot, but his effort was over the crossbar.

A minute later, the visitors made it 3-0. A mistake from Morgan Williams at the back gifted Luke McCormick the opportunity to stroll forward and tuck the ball into the bottom corner.

Despite falling further behind, the Glovers continued to search for a goal of their own. They wouldn’t get much closer than just one minute after conceding the third. Charlie Cooper flicked the ball through to Matt Worthington, who only had Josh Griffiths to beat, but he was denied by the sprawling body of Griffiths.

Then on 61 minutes came the onslaught of changes: seven from the Glovers and nine from Bristol Rovers almost changed the tempo of the game entirely.

Jordan Young’s introduction saw an injection of fresh pace, which almost paid off just three minutes after coming on. Young intercepted play and found Frank Nouble, who drove forward before putting a low cross into the area, but it was cleared away from danger.

Bristol Rovers had their own chance on 67 minutes when substitutes Jack Hunt and Ollie Dewsbury linked up before Dewsbury was denied by a strong save from Ollie Wright.

Moments later, Dewsbury had an even better opportunity to get on the scoresheet. He managed to intercept a wayward pass from Jordan Stevens before bearing down on goal and rounding Ollie Wright, but he put his effort wide.

The final change for the Glovers on 80 minutes saw Brett McGavin replaced by academy product Corey Koerner, who made his third appearance of the pre-season campaign.

Harvey Greenslade, who was just one of two remaining outfield starters on the pitch, continued to cause problems with his pace. As the game entered the final 10 minutes, he was hacked down in a dangerous position. The resulting set piece was well delivered by Jordan Young but ran through to Josh Griffiths.

The final chance of the game fell the way of Bristol Rovers and Ollie Dewsbury, who somehow still wasn’t on the scoresheet. This time he was able to intercept Finn Cousin-Dawson before going one-on-one with Ollie Wright, but the keeper made another good save to leave Dewsbury without a goal.

The full time whistle came soon after, marking the Glovers’ first defeat of their pre-season campaign, but it was a strong test against higher opposition.