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Josh Vela scored his first goal of the season to open the scoring for Bolton

Recently-relegated Bolton made it maximum points from their first three League One games after inflicting a first home defeat in nine months on Bristol Rovers.

The visitors took a sixth-minute lead when Josh Vela's fierce right-footed shot from the corner of the box took a deflection off Stuart Sinclair to wrong-foot Rovers goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall.

And it was 2-0 after 26 minutes. Tom Lockyer was penalised for a foul 25 yards out and Jay Spearing found the top corner to Mildenhall's right with a sweetly-struck free-kick.

Rovers struggled to create a clear first-half chance, despite some neat approach play. But they got back in the game on 57 minutes when Lee Brown's left-footed free-kick from 20 yards was brilliantly tipped onto a post by Mark Howard, only for Ellis Harrison to fire home the rebound.

Having made three attacking substitutions, two of them at half time, Rovers boss Darrell Clarke saw his team almost snatch a point on 86 minutes when Jermaine Easter fired wide from Billy Bodin's pass.

But they were unable to find an equaliser as they lost at the Memorial Stadium for the first time since being beaten by Stevenage on 24 November 2015.

Report supplied by the Press Association.