BROMSGROVE Rovers go into their hectic Christmas schedule top of the Dr Martens Western on goal difference - thanks to an unlikely early Christmas gift from bitter enemies Redditch United.

Rovers' 1-0 loss in the 93rd minute at Evesham United last Saturday looked to have cost them their top spot with Weston Super-Mare and Merthyr Tydfil breathing down their necks.

But Redditch, enjoying a good run of form, defeated Rovers' promotion rivals Weston Super-Mare 2-0, leaving the seasiders a point behind Gary Hackett and Jon Ford's side with only their fourth defeat of the campaign.

So Redditch's victory could not have come at a better time for Rovers although there will be little love lost between the two sides when they go head to head at the Valley Stadium on New Year's Day.

Merthyr though left it late at Racing Club Warwick, Rovers' opponents at the Victoria Ground this Saturday, to salvage a 2-1 victory and join Rovers on 42 points at the summit.

Solihull Borough have also started to creep up on Bromsgrove, their 4-2 defeat of Mangotsfield United sits them just three points off the pace.

Hackett knows his side have escaped falling from the top by virtue of other results but believes his players are as strong as ever.

He said: "Going to Evesham was always going to be tough and it took a good goal to win it. It was a disappointing result and on reflection they may just have deserved to win it.

"We keep bouncing back and we have got to do that again. The players are itching to put things right on Saturday.

"When we do get beat, teams have to play on top of their game to beat us and we are not going to be beaten easily so a lot of credit must go to the players."

Rovers must now put that ethos into practise as they face five games in two weeks, including the crunch game at Redditch on New Year's Day, and Hackett would be delighted to come through them unscathed.

"If we can come out of that in the same place than we will be happy," he added. "We have only lost three games this season and we would have taken that at the start."