Bristol Rovers forward makes 'ruined' international call-up confession (2025)

Bristol Rovers are relying on Ruel Sotiriou to score more goals in their survival bid after netting his sixth of the season against Exeter City

Occupying the final place in the League One relegation zone with just four matches left to go, Bristol Rovers need heroes to step forward and write their name into Gas folklore.

Realistically, if Rovers are to survive relegation to League Two, they will likely have to ensure that they take the fight for survival to the final day with closest rivals Burton Albion having an extra game in their schedule while also possessing a superior goal difference. However, to get to that position they need to start getting results immediately, starting with a tough-looking trip to promotion contenders Wrexham on Good Friday.

If a Gas player can find the goal that earns their team an unlikely result at the Racecourse Ground which then springboards a run of form that pulls them out of the abyss, that individual will go down as a modern hero.

Supporters won't be picky about who scores but, if they were making any bets on who would be the most likely, top scorer Ruel Sotiriou would be first pick for many.

Goals have been at seriously short supply for the majority of the campaign but Sotiriou's form since the turn of the year following Inigo Calderon's arrival offered encouragement that he could be the man to lead Rovers' push over the finish line.

The forward scored in home wins over Barnsley, Peterborough United and Huddersfield Town as well as in the 3-2 defeat to Rotherham United while registering an assist for Chris Martin's second goal in the 3-2 victory against Bolton Wanderers. However, while Rovers have been on this six-game losing streak, the goal contributions have also dried up for Sotiriou.

That was until Saturday when the 24-year-old scored what, frustratingly, proved to only be a consolation against Exeter City, ending a run of four appearances without a goal contribution

During this mini blip, the forward has had decent chances to score that he hasn't been able to take. Meanwhile, international duty with Cyprus, which produced zero minutes across two matches, saw him miss the 1-0 defeat at Crawley Town and, in his words, disrupted his momentum.

"Well, I feel like I kind of ruined my kind of flow, especially when I came back against Mansfield," Sotiriou confessed to Bristol Live. "Obviously, the flights and stuff and just not playing, your head's like all over the place.

"I would never have gone if I knew I wasn't gonna play, but that was just the situation and that was it really."

Like virtually all of his teammates, the forward, who qualifies for Cyprus through his parents, has found this season particularly tough. After registering 11 goals and five assists in his first League One campaign for boyhood club Leyton Orient last campaign, Sotiriou made the move to Rovers for a change of scenery and a new challenge, hoping he could build on a productive first season in the third tier.

The 24-year-old has detailed personal difficulties working with former manager Matt Taylor before as he endured a tough first half of the season. Now though, after finding his feet in blue-and-white quarters in 2025, he finds himself as the Gas' top scorer this term and is being looked upon to be the man that contributes with a couple of goals that helps Rovers earn the results they need to stay in League One.

"I came off my first season in League One last year and I thought I could build on that," Sotiriou reflected. "For whatever reason, especially in 2024, everything was just tough. Personal reasons, obviously manager reasons and just adapting to a new football club. But obviously since the manager's come in, we've been playing better football, but obviously the results haven't really turned.

"I would say my time's not [been] good, especially with the situation we're in. I don't think anyone's time has been good, to be honest with you. So we've just got to stick with it and hopefully stay up and build for next year."

Although there are still four games to go, Rovers will have a much clearer idea of their eventual fate after the Easter weekend as half of their remaining matches will be played within the space of four days.

Starting with a trip to Wrexham on Friday before hosting Stevenage on Monday, the odds are stacked against the Gas who head to the team with the second-best home record in the division while having the worst away record.

It is expected to be a raucous atmosphere at the Racecourse with eyes around the world pinned on how events in North Wales unfold given the Red Dragons' well-documented global brand.

Phil Parkinson's side are pushing for a third consecutive promotion into the Championship and, despite sitting in the final automatic promotion place, still have Wycombe Wanderers breathing down their necks who are just one point behind. Even Charlton Athletic and Stockport County in fourth and fifth place aren't completely out of contention yet either.

It's a game of significant importance at both ends of the League One table and, while Wrexham are fighting to achieve their dream of promotion, Rovers have very real targets of their own but will have to pull off one of their performances of the season in order to get a much-needed result.

"I feel like we've given all the top teams a good crack, especially recently," Sotiriou confessed. "I haven't been to Wrexham since they've had the Hollywood influx and stuff but I remember going there before and it was empty so it's going to be different, but we're up for the challenge.

"Obviously, we're under big pressure right now. It is just about results now, to be honest with you. I don't think we really mind how we play right now, we just need to get the wins under our belt.

"We've had chats and stuff and we know the position we're in and we need to get out of it as quick as possible and obviously that starts on Friday. So it's a massive four games for us.

"We should have known that even back in November time that we were still in it and then now it's four games to go. It shouldn't be like a surprise that we're here so we've just got to get on with it and try to get as many victories in these four games.

"We're in a situation where we need others to drop points and we need to get points and we just need to take care of our business and hopefully they drop off.

"On Saturday I was trying to get on the ball and stuff and trying to make things happen. But no one can hide now. There's no hiding. Obviously your lives change if you go down and people's jobs get lost and stuff. So we've got to give our all."