Bristol Rovers head coach Inigo Calderon believes that new signing Romaine Sawyers will be a “key player” for how he wants his side to play after the midfielder made his Gas debut against Ipswich Town on Sunday.

The Saint Kitts and Nevis international played 74 minutes for Rovers as his new side were beaten 3-0 by Premier League Ipswich in the FA Cup third round. Three first half goals from the Tractor Boys scored by Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor killed off the FA Cup tie with Sawyers eventually subbed off late in the second half.

In a difficult game for the whole side, he had 43 touches and completed 28 out of his 32 passes. For his first game in a new side, Sawyers looked sharp and bright but clearly a full week’s training with Calderon and the team ahead of Rovers' next game at home to Barnsley will help.

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The 33-year-old joined the Gas last Wednesday as a free agent after not renewing his short-term contract with League Two side AFC Wimbledon. He became new boss Calderon’s first signing as head coach of the club as the Spaniard looks to add to his side that currently sits 20th in League One.

“I think it was important for us to have him in the team,” Calderon told Bristol Live post-match. “I think it’s a key player for us in the identity I want to bring to the team about controlling the game and understanding the game. Obviously it was too early for him, but I’m quite happy with his performance.”

Sawyers came through the West Brom youth academy but it was after leaving the Baggies in 2013 that his career hit off at Walsall, where he featured 161 times and was named in the 2016 PFA League One team of the year. That earned him a move to Brentford where he once again played for three full seasons and won Players’ Player of the Year in 2018.

Despite lots of interest from other clubs, the midfielder chose to move back to West Brom and made the 2020 Championship Team of the Year as the Baggies were promoted to the Premier League. After a season in the top-flight, a move to Stoke City on loan and then a permanent transfer to Cardiff City followed.

With only six league appearances since the start of the 2023/24 season, it’s safe to say that Sawyers has lacked game time over the last 18 months. He seemed to fall out of favour under Erol Bulut at Cardiff, mainly having to sit on the bench or being left out of the squad completely.

The midfielder didn’t get a move in the summer but did go on international duty with the Saint Kitts and Nevis in October and November before he joined AFC Wimbledon on a short-term deal in December where he made five appearances, scoring in his last appearance for them on January 2 against Newport County.

“Yeah, I mean he’s been playing in a lower division and another club,” Calderon added. “It’s not easy, the first days with a new club. It’s never easy so I didn’t want to force him, we didn’t want to force him, because that was enough for him. I think he did what we wanted and that’s it”.

Next up for Bristol Rovers and Romaine Sawyers is a home clash against Barnsley on Saturday as they look to ease away from relegation threat in League One.

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