Saturday, March 29, 2003

THERE were few crumbs of comfort to be gathered from Meadow Park as Rovers lost more vital ground in their quest for back-to-back promotions.

The poor form and finishing which has plagued the team since the turn of the year was again in evidence and it was largely the way they squandered gilt-edged chances that helped the Tigers complete a fairly swift league double - having won at the Victoria Ground as recently as January.

And to add to Rovers' misery Saturday's defeat knocked them a further place down the table with Mangotsfield, who visit Bromsgrove this weekend, leap-frogging them by virtue of a 4-0 demolition of Clevedon.

Rovers could and should have returned back up the M5 with at least a point in game that was, in the first 45 minutes particularly, a pretty poor advertisement for the sport.

The first half was a wretched affair, largely devoid of any constructive football with the ball hoofed backwards and forwards with little precision - and while shots at goal were rare those on target were scarcer still.

What little there was to admire was provided by the energetic Kevin Banner and the industrious Steve Frost, while James Dyson did his best to get a passing game going.

The second half brought an improvement, not that the passion was lacking in either side and there were several tasty tangles which thankfully didn't get out of hand in spite of a number of controversial interpretations of matters by the referee.

Rovers had two gilt-edged, cast-iron, on a plate opportunities which should have seen them pocket at worst a point. Both fell to Paul Danks, both were inexplicably clipped over the crossbar from close range with only goalkeeper Matt Bath to beat - one after 48 minutes, the other after 68.

In between Jimmy Cox snatched the all important match-deciding goal when Gloucester turned defence into a swift counter-attack with a move that swept from the right-back area to their left wing and although Matt Lowe, together with Steve Pope, initially appeared to jointly smother the danger the ball broke kindly for Cox who was able to sweep the ball into an empty net.

Rovers were forced to throw caution to the wind and commit players forward as the minutes ticked by which left them vulnerable to counter-attacks and they were indebted to Lowe for a couple of good saves which kept them in with a shout of salvaging something.

Unfortunately woeful finishing, which appeared to lack conviction, ensured they slipped further behind in the pursuit of the top two - Merthyr and Weston.

With just six games to go Rovers are in need of a dramatic turn-around in fortunes. Sadly Saturday's performance gave little indication of this and I fear we have already begun to catch a few notes in the wind from that rather tuneful and rotund lady!

Gloucester: Bath, Smith, Jenkins, Griffiths, Chipps, Thompson, Burns, Cox, Bayliss (Marshall 81), Hoskins, Wilkinson. Subs: Howard, Barratt (not used).

ROVERS

Lowe 6, Benbow 5 (sub Beckett 80 mins), BANNER 7*, Clifton 6, Lutz 5, Pope 5 (sub Ford 60 mins), Dyson 6, Collins 5, Burgess 5, Danks 5 (sub Palmer 72 mins), Frost 6. Sub not used: Hackett.

Bookings: Gloucester - Hoskins (31 foul), Burns (90 foul). Rovers: Lutz (57 foul), Frost (58 time-wasting).

Referee: Mr L Hodgson (Nuneaton).

Attendance - 355.