Bromsgrove Rovers 0 Swindon Supemarine 0

LACKLUSTRE Bromsgrove Rovers' slim automatic promotion hopes received an almost fatal blow as their poor home form came back to haunt them against a stubborn Swindon side on Saturday.

The draw left Rovers' chances of a top two finish hanging by a thread in the Southern League Division One West.

Jimmy Mullen's side have allowed vital points at home to slip through their fingers all season and determined Swindon took full advantage as nervous Rovers failed to push their home advantage.

Kevin Banner had an early chance to open the scoring, but headed Mark Benbow's cross at Swindon goalkeeper Tom King in the first minute.

Steve Frost, acting as midfield enforcer for the injured Scott Hadland in his 200th Rovers game, headed Banners' second minute corner wide. But the home side were let off the hook in the 26th minute, after a weak back-pass by Riad Erraji set Carl Palmer running at Rovers' goal.

However, as goalkeeper Matt Lowe forced him wide the striker could only put the ball into the side netting.

Matthew Barnes-Homer was making a quiet home debut, but he came very close to breaking the deadlock in the 32nd minute.

The 19-year-old stole the ball off Rogers Emms and powered towards Swindon's goal, but King was equal to his stinging low shot and palmed the ball away.

It wasn't until Arthur Appleton and Andy Turner were introduced in the second half that Rovers seemed to show any creativity.

Appleton came agonisingly close when Emms cleared his goalbound header, from Turner's cross, off the line in the 73rd minute.

The striker must have felt dj vu two minutes later, when Steve Davies was on hand to scramble Appleton's header off the line after Turner's probing high ball.

In the game's dying minutes Frost made sure Rovers took a point to help cement a play-off place when he slid into beat Palmer to Mark Jones' cross.

Rovers: Lowe (6), Johnson 6 (Francis, 78 mins, 6), Hillman 6, Collins 6, Male 6, Erraji 6, Benbow 6, Frost 7, Szewczyk 6, Barnes-Homer 6 (Appleton, 61mins, 7), Banner 6 (Turner, 61mins, 7).

Referee: Mr Singh.

Attendance: 366.

By Peter McKinney