| Club: | Eastville Rovers |
| Season: | 1884–85 |
| Mgrtitle: | Captain |
| Manager: | Bill Somerton |
| Stdtitle: | Ground |
| Stadium: | Three Acres |
| Pattern B1: | _goldrightsash |
| Leftarm1: | 000000 |
| Body1: | 000000 |
| Rightarm1: | 000000 |
| Shorts1: | 000000 |
| Socks1: | 000000 |
| Prevseason: | 1883–84 |
| Nextseason: | 1885–86 |
The 1884–85 season was the second to be played by the team that are now known as Bristol Rovers, and their first playing under the name Eastville Rovers.
As well as a new name, the team moved to a new ground known as Three Acres in the Ashley Down area of Bristol,[1] and appointed Bill Somerton as captain.[2] As with their previous season, the club played only friendly matches. Boxing, Cricket and Rugby were the most popular sports in Bristol at the time, and only a small number of association football teams played in the city, limiting the potential opposition for Rovers.[3]
The full details of the games played this season are not known, but they suffered a 7–1 defeat at the hands of Warmley some time before a second eleven lost 2–1 to the same opposition on 8 November 1884.[4] Two matches were scheduled against Gloucester, in Gloucester on 27 December and in Bristol on 7 February,[5] and there were also games played against Bristol Wagon Works, Clifton Wanderers, Melksham, Right Against Might, St George, and Wotton-under-Edge.[3]
In addition to these games, a match was arranged against a team in Cardiff, but this had to be cancelled when the Rovers team refused to travel on the Aust Ferry.[6]
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October | Right Against Might | The Downs, Bristol | Lost 1–0 | [7] | |
| 11 October[8] | Warmley | Lost 1–7 | |||
| 13 December | Clifton Wanderers | Purdown, Bristol | Lost 0–2 | ||
| 3 January[9] | Gloucester | Budding's Field, Gloucester | Lost 0–1 | [10] | |
| 7 February | Gloucester | Purdown, Bristol | Lost 1–4 | [11] | |
| 21 February | Clifton 2nd XI | The Downs, Bristol | Drew 1–1 | [12] |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 November | Warmley 2nd XI | Warmley, Gloucestershire | Lost 1–2 | ||
| 29 November | Warmley 2nd XI | Purdown, Bristol | Drew 0–0 | [13] |