PAULTON ROVERS 3 YATE TOWN 2

Rovers won an enthralling match against local rivals, Yate Town, in a game where the quality of the football bellied the position of both clubs at the start of proceedings.

The home side could well have taken a first minute lead after skipper, Dan Cleverley, took a free kick, which was only partially cleared to Charlie Rich, whose cross was neatly flicked on, by first Ben Lacey and then Scott Brice to Marcus Mapstone who sent his volley over the bar. Town then had three good chances in as many minutes as first Matt Groves fired over from 20 yards, Rovers’ keeper, Kyle Phillips did well to get down to a deflected shot from Danny Wring and Mike Bryant headed wide from a free kick.

Ben Lacey’s pace caused the visitors’ defence problems all afternoon and after having a penalty appeal turned down 2 minutes earlier, when he went down in the box under a challenge, he opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. It came from a move down the right that saw Craig Loxton slip a pass inside the full back and Lacey fired home across Town keeper, Josh Dempsey, and into the far bottom corner of the net.

The game entered a quiet period but Town eventually levelled 10 minutes later when Loxton was adjudged to have brought down Bryant in the area, a decision hotly disputed by Rovers and which earned Phillips a yellow card. Tom Knighton sent the keeper the wrong way with his spot kick.

The pace of the game picked up as Loxton sent over a superb free kick that no one from either side somehow managed to get a touch on whilst at the other end Phillips produced what could well prove to be the save of the season as he somehow managed to turn over a Knighton header from a left wing corner. Rovers could have gone into the break ahead but Dempsey did well to block a shot from the sliding Brice after good work by Lacey and Mapstone.

Rovers made a dreadful start to the second half as Mapstone uncharacteristically failed to deal with a speculative long ball forward allowing Knighton to slot the ball home past Phillips and give his side the lead.

Rovers pressed for the equaliser as Brice had a header scrambled clear and Dempsey had a let off as he failed to catch a Rich free kick and was relieved to see the ball go wide of the post for a corner. Yate were looking to catch Rovers on the break and almost did so in the 55th minute as Mitchell Page released Knighton, but Mapstone got in a great block and Phillips produced a good save from the follow up effort.

The home side drew level on the hour mark as the ball was played up to James Billing on the edge of the Yate penalty box and with his back to goal he slipped a neat pass into Loxton, whose shot went under the diving Dempsey and into the net.

The visitors responded well and Phillips was once again the home side’s saviour as he got down well to save a 35 yard free kick from Page and then in the 68th minute the same player was denied by the keeper’s outstretched leg after Knighton had set up a great scoring opportunity for his strike partner.

However it was Rovers who took what proved to be the decisive lead in the 75th minute as Loxton and Lacey combined in similar fashion to the opening goal, but this time Lacey crossed to the far post where the unmarked Billing headed home.

It seemed to dent the visitor’s confidence and the only effort they had on target in the time that remained was a long range effort from skipper, Tom Warren, that Phillips dealt with comfortably, whilst Billing had two headers go just wide of the post, which could have added to Rovers’ tally.

Rovers: Kyle Phillips, Stuart Pearson, Jack Allward, Marcus Mapstone, Scott Brice, Charlie Rich, Craig Loxton, Ben Lacey, Dan Cleverley (C), Nick McCootie.
Subs not used: Stuart Tovey, Mark Badman, Ben Osman, Steve Bridges, Kris Miller.

Referee: Maurice Taylor

Assts: Michael Turner / James Taylor

Attendance: 147