Bristol Rovers are not in a favourable position right now in League One and they are staring at the threat of relegation back to the fourth tier of English football.

There has been a lot of instability at the Gas this season, with the club going through three different managers in an attempt to arrest the situation they find themselves in.

Ben Garner was given his marching orders in November, Paul Tisdale couldn't do anything to stop the slide and now it's Joey Barton's turn to try and steady the ship and turn the form around.

Barton is working with a squad that is mainly in their 20's, and perhaps a lack of experience over the age of 30 in the squad is coming back to haunt them.

Speaking of experience, let's look at the 10 oldest players to ever play for the Gas in their career - all of them coming since the turn of the Millennium.

A much heralded player at Torquay United, Mansell turned down a new deal there in 2014 to join Rovers on a two-year contract.

Mansell was a part of back-to-back promotions with the Gas following his signing, but in the League One campaign of 2016/17 he failed to feature regularly.

He did manage some game-time though and his last appearance came at the age of 34 years, six months and 22 days in a 3-1 April 2017 loss to Gillingham - he would go on to retire at the end of the season after being offered a coaching role at Rovers, where he remains to this day.

Monkhouse had a stellar career in the lower leagues with the likes of Rotherham and Hartlepool, but ended up dropping out of the Football League in 2014 after being released by Hartlepool.

That's when he was snapped up by Bristol Rovers and his experience was used to great effect - then a Conference side the Gas gained promotion back to the Football League and Monkhouse was a big factor in that, scoring eight goals from midfield.

His last appearance was in the play-off final victory over Grimsby Town that season at the age of 34 years, six months and 24 days before he departed to be closer to his roots in Leeds.

Craig is best known for his exploits with Millwall, a club who he's had four separate stints with, but after falling out of first-team contention at The Den in 2018 he found a new club in Bristol Rovers.

An experienced presence at the heart of the Gas defence for two-and-a-half years, Craig never let the club down and made 34 league appearances in his final campaign, the last of those coming at the age of 34 years, 10 months and 19 days in a 2-0 victory over Sunderland - the final game of last season before COVID-19 curtailed League One.

Craig was released in the summer and subsequently joined Crawley Town, a club closer to his London roots.

An Ireland international, Lawrence is best known for starring in Tony Pulis' Stoke City team in the Premier League, and he was a hot-shot in the Championship having scored 14 goals in the season that saw the Potters achieve promotion to the top flight in 2008.

Fast forward eight years though and Lawrence was at League One side Shrewsbury Town, and after just 18 months at Salop he was allowed to join Bristol Rovers, then in League Two.

Lawrence had a promising start to life in the west country and achieved promotion with the club at the end of the 2015/16 campaign, but rarely featured after that.

And he was released in January 2017 after appearing just four times in that season - his last game coming as a late substitute in a 5-0 victory against Northampton just weeks before his departure at the age of 35 years and 24 days.

After bouncing around the Football League throughout his career, Easter landed close to his Welsh roots for the final spell of his playing days, signing for the Gas in 2015.

It took a while for Easter to find his scoring boots, but in his first full season he netted seven goals as the club earned promotion to League One.

The 2016/17 campaign would be the Wales international's final as a footballer - he was released at the end of the season and his final outing came at the age of 35 years, three months and 15 days against former club Millwall, where he bagged a goal in a 4-3 defeat against the Lions.

It's no surprise to see a few goalkeepers on this list considering they tend to stay active for the longest, and Miller is one that had a stellar career.

Miller moved for £1.5 million to Crystal Palace earlier in his career but he wasn't the same player when he rocked up at Rovers in 2003, having last played for Exeter City.

He was the regular stopper for the Gas though and played 72 times over two years in the league, and his final game came at the age of 35 years, 11 months and 25 days in a 1-1 draw with Bury in May 2005.

Miller actually retired following his Rovers departure that very year but was convinced to return to football by George Burley at Southampton a year later, playing seven times for them.

Despite his birth place being Bournemouth, Book is a proper west country fella looking at his list of clubs played for - his most prominent one being Cheltenham Town.

Book did have two separate spells at Bristol Rovers though late in his career, but he made just one appearance for them in 2006.

That was in a March encounter against Notts County - Rovers lost 2-1 at home that day and Book made his debut at the age of 36 years, eight months and four days - but he would remain rooted to the bench following that, and in the present day Book is back at Cheltenham as a goalkeeping coach.

Rammell scored goals wherever he went - apart from Manchester United earlier in his career where he failed to break into the senior squad - and he ended up at Rovers in the latter days of his career.

The striker had spend three seasons at Wycombe before getting a move to the Gas in March 2003, and scored three goals in four outings before the end of the 2002/03 campaign.

The next season though would be cut short for Rammell - he played a few games but in December at the age of 36 years, 10 months and nine days, he would suffer an injury against Yeovil Town which forced him into professional retirement.

One of just three outfield players to play in over 1,000 competitive matches in English football, McGleish certainly had a storied and well-travelled career.

McGleish was a prolific striker in the lower leagues, scoring for the likes of Colchester, Northampton and Leyton Orient before arriving at the Gas in 2011.

He spent just one season at Rovers when they were in League Two, but he contributed with seven goals in 27 outings, his last appearance coming at the age of 38 years and eight days against Oxford United in February 2012, and was still playing into his mid-40's at Edgware Town in 2019 in non-league.

Another EFL club hopper, Mildenhall played for Notts County, Grimsby, Yeovil and Southend before joining Rovers in 2013 from Millwall, initially on loan but it was turned into a permanent move.

Mildenhall played 127 league games for the Gas during his four years as a player there, but the 2016/17 season would see him sit on the sidelines, with his last game coming at the age of 38 years, three months and 10 days in a 3-2 League Cup defeat to Chelsea early on in that season.

Mildenhall stayed at the club after his retirement in 2017 as a goalkeeping coach, but departed a year later back to former club Swindon.