Bristol Rovers set to appoint ex-Leeds United and Rotherham manager as Darrell Clarke successor | OneFootball

Steve Evans is heading to the Memorial Stadium for the rest of the 2025-26 season

Bristol Rovers are set to hire Steve Evans as their new manager to succeed the recently sacked Darrell Clarke, according to reports.

The Gas have been seriously struggling in League Two following relegation from the third tier last season, with Inigo Calderon unable to save them from the drop after replacing Matt Taylor halfway through the campaign.

Another change in the Memorial Stadium dugout occurred after the conclusion of the season, with the aforementioned Clarke returning to the job he'd previously held between 2014 and 2018, where he won two promotions back-to-back in 2016 from the Conference to League One.

Steve Evans set to be appointed as Bristol Rovers manager

Clarke's second stint at Rovers did not go to plan though, and after a 3-0 defeat this past weekend at home to Swindon Town made it a run of 10 matches lost in League Two to put them in the bottom two of the division, the decision was made to part company with the 48-year-old.

And as first reported by Pete O'Rourke, Clarke's successor has already been selected, with the experienced Steve Evans set to arrive as the club's new manager.

Evans needs little introduction, having become an experienced EFL hand in recent years, first with Boston United in the early 2000's, but made a name for himself by taking Crawley Town from non-league and into League Two.

The well-travelled Scotsman has also managed Leeds United, Mansfield Town, Peterborough United, Gillingham, Stevenage and Rotherham United, with his most recent job being a second stint at the New York Stadium with the Millers, which he left in March 2025 after just under a year in charge after League One results spiralled for the South Yorkshire outfit.

A new-look Evans - who revealed in September that he'd lost six-and-a-half stone in a weight loss journey - is now set for a return to the dugout though nine months after his last job, where he will be tasked with trying to push the Gas up the table, starting with this Friday's upcoming clash with Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road.