The MK Dons midfielder’s opening goal for Bristol Rovers was a stunner

Kane Thompson-Sommers opened his Bristol Rovers goal-scoring account in fine style on Saturday with a stunning solo effort against Swindon Town.

The 25-year-old joined the Gas from MK Dons during the January transfer window on loan until the end of the season. Since the move, he has featured seven times for Steve Evans’ side, but was ineligible to play against his parent club at Stadium MK last month - a game Dons won 1-0 thanks to a Callum Paterson goal in the first-half.

Rovers are scrapping at the wrong end of the League Two table, and headed to promotion chasing Swindon Town on Saturday back by big numbers of travelling supporters, with over 2,300 in the away end.

Picking up the ball in his own half, two minutes before half-time at the County Ground, Thompson-Sommers took the ball to the edge of the box, cut inside onto his left-foot, unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top corner to give the visitors the lead.

While they would be pegged back in the second-half when Ollie Palmer equalised for Ian Holloway’s men, the point was a big one for both Bristol Rovers and MK Dons, as the Pirates edged four points from the relegation zone, and kept the Robins behind Dons in the race for automatic promotion.

“It’s tough because we thought we did enough to win the game,” Thompson-Sommers said afterwards. “We were in a good position going in at half-time. On reflection, it will be a good point but I think we should have taken all three points.

“It was a really scrappy start to the game, it being a derby, but I had to be patient and wait to get into the game. Ellis took a quick free-kick to me, and I thought about going for it, going towards the goal to see what I could create. No-one was ahead of me so I thought I’d take it on myself. It felt great.

“My performances have picked up in every game I’ve had for the club. I’ll admit it was hard for me at the start, I had to get used to the style and the players. But I’ve gotten better and better in every game.”

The former Halifax man admitted he struggled to settle into the Rovers dressing room initially after joining from Stadium MK, but as time has gone on, his relationship with manager Evans and the rest of the players has grown, allowing him to come out of his shell on the field.

He said: “The coaches have always been upfront with me, we have a good relationship and they know it was tough for me to settle in at the start, and I put that on myself.

“They’ve always been top, communicating with me, they’ve always been great with me and they have helped me get into the side and play how I know I can. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

This Saturday, Rovers host Crewe Alexandra at Memorial Stadium.