To celebrate the arrival of the Euro 2008 championships, we look at each of the nations in turn and their connections, tenuous or otherwise, with Bristol Rovers.

The only competing nation at the Euro 2008 that Bristol Rovers have beaten is Holland. On Sunday 16th November 1930, just 24 hours after a League match and following an overnight North Sea crossing, Rovers defeated Holland 3-2.

Rovers were reported to be surprised by the ball-playing skills of this emergent nation, 22-year-old outside-right Adje Gerritse catching the eye and centre-forward Gerrit Hulsman scoring twice, though the second was apparently from an offside position. Nonetheless, Ronnie Dix's two goals and one from Arthur Attwood earned Rovers a deserved victory. However, only two of the Dutch team that day were to win full caps: outside-left Joop van Nellen scored seven times in 27 full internationals, whilst his left-wing partner Jan van de Broeck scored four times in eleven matches for his country.

In recent years, five Rovers players have plied their trade in Holland. Sergio Ommel was born in Den Haag in September 1977 and played professionally for both Groningen and Stormvogels Telstar, a team from Ijmuiden, before joining Rovers in November 2001 on a free transfer from the Icelandic side KR Reykjavik. A tall and strong striker, he had scored six times in 33 games for Groningen and 29 goals in 99 appearances for Telstar. His eight goals in 18 (plus five as sub) League games made him Rovers' second highest scorer in 2001-02. After his release in 2002, Ommel returned to Telstar and has subsequently played for Omniworld, from Almere, and Quickboys, a team from Katwijk.

Michel Kuipers, who was born in Amsterdam in June 1974, played in goal in one game for Rovers in March 1999 and has recently been linked with a possible return to the Memorial Stadium. A soldier with the Dutch Commandoes, he played for the SDW side from Amsterdam and, though watched by Haarlem and Utrecht, opted for Rovers. He has been on Brighton's books since June 2000, though he spent two loan spells at Boston United last season.

The Northern Irish international striker James Quinn spent a month on loan with Rovers over Easter 2002 and score once in six League matches. He joined the Dutch Eredivisie side Willem II at the end of that season and, over nearly three years, scored eleven times in 30 (plus 17 as sub) matches. Most recently, he was in the Peterborough side that faced Rovers in the 2005-06 season.

Paul Bannon scored eight League goals for Rovers in 27 (plus two as sub) League matches between February 1984 and the summer of 1985. In July 1985 he left Rovers in an £8,000 deal to join the Dutch club NAC Breda. Two seasons in Holland preceded further spells in Greece and his native Eire.

Jamie Forrester, who was with Utrecht in 1999-2000, scored nine goals for Rovers in 23 (plus 29 as sub) League games between 2004 and 2006.

Harry Topping (1913-2001) played for Rovers in the unofficial FA Cup campaign of 1945-46 and was coach at Feyenoord in 1950-51, as well as PSV Eindhoven the following season.

Several Dutch players have opposed Rovers in recent years, amongst them Gerard Wiekens (Manchester City), Stefan Stam (Oldham Athletic), Jeroen Boere (Southend United), Jorg Smeets (Wigan Athletic), Ferrie Bodde and Dorus de Vries (both Swansea City), Bobby Petta (Ipswich Town), Sieb Dykstra (Wycombe Wanderers) and Arjan de Zeeuw (Wigan Athletic and Barnsley).

Many of Rovers' opponents down the years have enjoyed football in Holland as well as England. Amongst these is the name of Raymond Stanley Lawrance, who was born in Gainsborough in September 1911. Lawrance represented Hull City and Newport County in League football and it was while at Somerton Park that he played against Rovers in both games of the 1937-38 season, Rovers winning 2-0 at home and drawing 2-2 away. A wing-half, he spent the final inter-war season at Dutch club Haarlem; he died in 1987.

Fred Pagnam, who scored twice in eight games for Fulham against Rovers between 1922 and 1926, later coached in Holland. Len Hill, in goal for QPR in nine League games against Rovers between 1921 and 1925, coached Sports Club Utrecht in 1933. Jack Reynolds, in Watford's side against Rovers in March 1908, was manager of Ajax in three spells between 1915 and 1947, leading them to eight Dutch championships. He also coached the national side, as did Edgar Chadwick (Southampton, 1900-02), who led Holland to the bronze medal in the 1912 Olympics before coaching Sparta to the Dutch League championship in 1915.

Another opponent was Wilson Lennox, who scored twice in the three games he played against Rovers whilst with Charlton. In May 1934 he accepted a post as coach at the Dutch club Enschede to help the growth of football in Holland.

The future England manager Bobby Robson played five times for Fulham against Rovers between 1953 and 1956, scoring twice; he was manager at PSV Eindhoven in two spells, 1990-93 and 1998-99.

In more recent years, other opponents have also appeared in football in Holland, including Derek Spence (Oldham, Southend and Sparta Rotterdam), Mike Small (Brighton, Go Ahead Eagles and Twente Enschede), Rob McDonald (Hull City, Cambuur, Wegeningen, Willem II, Groningen and PSV Eindhoven), Alexander Ostlund (Southampton and Feyenoord), Dean Wilkins (Brighton and PEC Zwolle), Joe Jakub (Bury and AZ Alkmaar), David Mitchell (Swindon Town and Feyenoord), Louie Donowa (Bristol City, Birmingham City and Willem II), Mark Farrington (Cambridge United, Cardiff City and Willem II), Michael Ball (Everton and PSV Eindhoven), Mauro Almeida (Accrington Stanley and FC Zwolle), Colin Cramb (Bristrol City, Walsall, Bury, Grimsby and Fortuna Sittard), Dejan Stafanovic (Fulham and Vitesse Arnhem and Omar Riza (Cambridge United and Den Haag).

Written by Stephen Byrne