PAULTON ROVERS 3 SLIMBRIDGE 1

Rovers, despite going into the game without at least 6 regulars due to illness, injuries and suspensions and losing skipper, Josh Ford, in the warm up with a muscle strain, began well with Jordan Ricketts hitting the crossbar from a Solomon Wheatley cross and Kane Simpson unable to find the target when he got on the end of a Rickett’s cross.

However on 8 minutes, with the hosts still pressing, Slimbridge skipper, Lee Smith, got on the end of a quick break down the left channel and he gave the visitors the lead cutting inside and firing a curling right foot shot from the edge of the box into the far, bottom corner of the net.

Slimbridge doubled their lead on 16 minutes as their right back, Sam Turl, overlapped and sent in a cross that saw acting skipper, Joe Chandler, adjudged to have brought Smith down in the box and Adam Mace converted the resultant spot kick sending Rovers’ keeper, Andrew Hannah, the wrong way.

Rovers should have reduced the arrears 2 minutes later but Simpson blazed over from 10 yards having been set up by a great run from Wheatley. Then on 29 minutes ex Rovers’ player, Marley Thomas, sent over a great cross for Jack Twyman to head home only to be thwarted by the assistant’s flag for offside. The home side pressed forward and felt they should have had a penalty on 37 minutes when Will Hailston went down in the box but nothing was given.

However Rovers were back into the game on 38 minutes as Hailston's 20 yard effort found the bottom corner of the net.
Rovers could have gone in at half time on level terms but just before the break Ricketts headed over at the far post from a Wheatley cross. After the restart it was the visitors who started brightly but gradually the home side recovered and were unlucky not to draw level on 55 minutes when a Kailan Gould free kick from the right saw defender, Nick Grimes, stick out a leg and the ball sliced agonisingly close to the near post. The visitors were reduced to 10 men on the hour as Thomas was shown a straight red card for an over the top tackle on Gould.

However this seemed to galvanise the visitors and 3 minutes later substitute, Sean Lawson added a decisive third with a shot from the edge of the Rovers' box that gave Hannah no chance.

The hosts struggled to recover and looked likely to concede a fourth as the pace in the visitors’ break caused problems, however they did get the ball in the net on 91 minutes but Simpson was denied, what would have been his first in a Rovers’ shirt, by the assistant’s flag and three vital points went to the away side.

Attendance: 102

Rovers: Andrew Hannah, Elliott Keightley, Matthew Long (Adam Mahmood 82 mins) , Alex Grimshaw, Joe Chandler (C) (Sam Stoppard 86 mins), Solomon Wheatley, Will Hailston, Ian Parkes, Kane Simpson, Jordan Ricketts, Kailan Gould.
Star Man: Richard Thwaite (Slimbridge)

Match report from Andy Harris.