LACKLUSTRE Bromsgrove Rovers saw their automatic promotion hopes slip further away as their poor home form came back to haunt them against a stubborn Swindon side.

The draw left Rovers three points outside the top two of Southern League Division One West, having played a game more.

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

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 Banner's second-minute corner wide.

But the hosts 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 came close to breaking the deadlock in the 32nd minute.

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

Despite all their possession, Rovers seemed subdued and struggled to find some cutting edge in the second-half.

It was not until Arthur Appleton and Andy Turner were introduced that Rovers seemed to show any creativity.

Appleton came agonisingly close when Emms cleared his goal-bound 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 closing minutes, Frost made sure Rovers took a point to help cement a play-off place when he slid in to beat Palmer to Mark Jones' cross.

Rovers: Lowe 6, Johnson 6 (Francis 78, 6), Hillman 6, Collins 6, Male 6, Erraji 6, Benbow 6, *Frost 8, Szewczyk 6, Barnes-Homer 6 (Appleton 61, 7), Banner 6 (Turner 61, 7). Subs not used: Mitchell, Gandy.

Attendance: 366.