This particular season will be best remembered for a series of bizarre early season results and the fact that the Rovers were eventually relegated from the old Third Division after finishing next to bottom. Readers will be particularly pleased to read of the exploits of Glynn and Ian Snodin, who were both first team regulars at the time.

After an uninspiring start which realised just one point from the first three games, the next four home fixtures provided no fewer than 36 goals in total. Exeter City were beaten 6-1 and Reading 7-5, before Wigan Athletic came and got their script wrong by winning 3-6. The final game of this incredible quartet saw the Rovers draw 4-4 with Brentford, this, after being 4-1 up at one stage.

The period up to Christmas was largely uneventful in contrast, the major talking point being the transfer of Alan Little to Torquay United. The Rovers midfielder was immensely popular with the home supporters, and his exit from Belle Vue was met with universal disapproval. By the turn of the New Year, the Rovers were fifth from bottom of the Third Division, due largely to their appalling away record of ten defeats in eleven games. This, in contrast to their useful home tally of just one defeat in twelve. Three league victories in the month of January, including away successes at Newport County and Wigan Athletic, looked to have set the Rovers up for a determined rearguard action against relegation, but it proved to be a false dawn. The next ten games provided but a single victory, this coming of all places at Plymouth Argyle.

The home game with Sheffield United in early April naturally created a lot of interest locally, and despite their lowly league position, the Rovers beat the Blades by two goals to nil for a richly deserved victory. Sadly, it was to be the last Rovers victory of the season, with the last eight fixtures providing just one point by way of reward, and the Rovers finished the season a full thirteen points from safety.

The cup competitions provided little in the way of consolation. The Milk Cup saw the Rovers lose out narrowly to Huddersfield Town in the First Round, whilst the Rovers did manage to ease past non-league Workington in the First Round of the FA Cup before being thrashed at Peterborough in Round Two

Leading scorers: G Snodin 12, Douglas 7

Division Three
 1982/1983
 
P
W
D
L
F
A
Points
Portsmouth
46
27
10
9
74
41
91
Cardiff City
46
25
11
10
76
50
86
Huddersfield Town
46
23
13
10
84
49
82
Newport County
46
23
9
14
76
54
78
Oxford United
46
22
12
12
71
53
78
Lincoln City
46
23
7
16
77
51
76
Bristol Rovers
46
22
9
15
84
57
75
Plymouth Argyle
46
19
8
19
61
66
65
Brentford
46
18
10
18
88
77
64
Walsall
46
17
13
16
64
63
64
Sheffield United
46
19
7
20
62
64
64
Bradford City
46
16
13
17
68
69
61
Gillingham
46
16
13
17
58
59
61
Bournemouth
46
16
13
17
59
68
61
Southend United
46
15
14
17
66
65
59
Preston North End
46
15
13
18
60
69
58
Millwall
46
14
13
19
64
78
55
Wigan Athletic
46
15
9
22
60
72
54
Exeter City
46
14
12
20
81
104
54
Orient
46
15
9
22
64
88
54
Reading
46
12
17
17
63
80
53
Wrexham
46
12
15
19
57
76
51
DONCASTER ROVERS
46
9
11
26
57
97
38
Chesterfield
46
8
13
25
44
68
37