The result of a match played more than 700 miles away has given Bristol Rovers fans reason to celebrate survival for the second time this season.

While the Gas secured their League One status with a game to spare in their 0-0 draw at Fleetwood Town on April 27, their twin club were not afforded that luxury.

By the skin of their teeth, on-time champions of Spain CE Sabadell avoided relegation to Spain's third-tier following a season that almost mirrored that of their partner club.

But just who are the Arlequinats of Catalonia and where has the relationship come from?

Throughout history football kits have had a strange habit of uniting fans and clubs.

Juventus' infamous black and white stripes were inspired by the colours of lowly Notts County in 1903, resulting in an undying bond between the two clubs.

Sabadell's stadium

Brazilian giants Corinthians and Fluminense are associated with a non-league side from Surrey and Exeter City respectively.

It may be slightly more understated, but a similar relationship is budding between Bristol Rovers and CE Sabadell, from the city that shares their name nestled in the hills 20km to the north of Barcelona.

While Rovers have worn the special colours since the 1930s, CE Sabadell haven't changed the design since their title-winning campaign of 1913 having won stripes for the previous decade.

Their shared story began in the streets surrounding Barcelona's Nou Camp in 2005, where visiting Bristol Rovers fans are said to have spotted two people wearing blue and white quartered football shirts.

Thinking they were fellow Gasheads they approached them, only to find they were Sabadell fans who had been to watch their side play Barcelona B.

From there there was a semblance of a relationship between the sets of fans, but this has blossomed in recent years after it was made official in 2015 with the twinning of the two clubs.

Sabadell fans on the Mem's pitch after Rovers' promotion in 2016

"I wanted to make something special," said Gustavo Ruiz, founder and vice president of the Sabadell supporters club The Walking Arlekins.

"I knew the relationship with the fans had started some years before but it had stalled. I thought it would be a great idea to officially twin the two groups of fans and clubs.

"So we prepared it all and even made some plaques to exchange. Since then we go to Bristol every year and they come to Sabadell for our last game."

Rovers visited Sabadell's Estadi Nova Creu Alta for a friendly in 2016, with as many as 800 Gasheads travelling for the pre-season game.

John Kayes handles the fan liaison on the Bristol Rovers end. "I found out there'd been a little bit of a relationship between a few of the fans," he said.

"We went back over there and got treated [really well] just by going to the game with a Bristol Rovers badge on.

Bristol Rovers fans in Spain

"We were bought food, drink, they went and got the president of the football club and introduced him to us, old players that had played for Sabadell and went on to play for Barcelona and Real Madrid - it was like we were something special, we'd just gone to watch the game."

The Gasheads have made the seaside town of Santa Susanna their base for their visits there.

The 66-year-old continued: "We always stay in Santa Susanna and on the matchday we always drink at a bar called the Drunken Duck. We've had big flags made with the Rovers and Sabadell badges on with the drunken duck.

"All the Sabadell fans have scarves with Rovers one end and Sabadell the other, they've got flags they take everywhere with the two teams on, there's pin badges with it on.

"In Spain the fans don't travel very well, but on Sunday when they stayed up they took 1,500 to the little team called Olot.

"Great stories have come from it, it's such a friendship, it's hard to explain. We're hoping the Rovers will be going back soon."

Gustavo added: "This year I had my fifth visit to Bristol and we are already thinking about the sixth next year. It doesn't stop, it is growing, growing and growing every year."

Gustavo and other Sabadell fans at the Memorial Stadium

The similarities between the clubs seem to run deeper than just the colours and pattern on the shirt.

Both sides ply their trade in the third tier of their respective countries - with Sabadell in Group 2 of the Segunda Division B - and both sides ultimately finished the season in lower mid-table amid financial uncertainty.

But Sabadell's stuggles were perhaps even greater than Bristol Rovers'.

The side won just once in a 16 game run between mid-December and early April, but miraculously recovered their form to win four of their final six fixtures.

With two games to go, the Arlequinats were marooned in the relegation zone, with much needed investment dependent on their survival.

They beat Ejea of Aragon in their penultimate game before securing their survival on the final day of the season by beating fellow Catalans Olot 2-0 away from home with a brace from young striker Pol Ballesteros in his last game for the club, sparking wild scenes and a pitch invasion.

"For the fans, the survival of the club in the category is almost everything," said Gustavo.

"We have been in the third division - the fourth tier - several times and it's a disaster.

"People get depressed, people leave, fans don't come as much and well, people were scared of the possibility of going down and maybe the investors wouldn't have come.

"The fans are OK, are happy and are confident in the club and just waiting for the news."

The 49-year-old attended the play-off final at Wembley along with 15 others as Rovers returned to the Football League, and he was at the Memorial Stadium the following year as the Gas earned back to back promotions.

He added: "We have had a new owner for the last two years, a former director of FC Barcelona Esteve Calzada.

Gustavo Ruiz ahead of Sabadell's victory over Olot that kept them up

"He bought the club last year and he came here for a five-year project to take the club into the Segunda Division at least.

"The problem is that we had several troubles to solve, we were under administration when they were about to buy the club, we are out now, the debts are controlled and reduced from £6m to not even £2m now.

"The problem is that he thought he would find more investors but they didn't come because of some bureaucratic troubles.

"These troubles are solved, and the investors are about to enter, but they were waiting to see if we could stay in the Segunda Division or if we would go down to the third division, which is another level.

"Ultimately we stayed in the same category and theoretically the investors are here to answer to the club. We have some offers now, from the United States and China - big groups.

"We'll see what happens. At the moment the viability of the club is OK because some of them will bring money and we will be able to prepare a good team for next season and try and win promotion.

"They had almost twin seasons [Rovers and Sabadell]. A very similar situation, very similar results, very similar positions in the table. At least we both got we wanted - to keep the clubs in the same division. Let's hope for better things for next year."