Paget Rangers (1) 2

Bromsgrove Rovers (1) 1

Dr Martens League Western Division

Saturday April 28

RICHARD Brown's brace sentenced Rovers to a disastrous reversal at Paget Rangers on Saturday.

The defeat dumped Rovers into one of the two relegation spots in the Dr Martens League Western Division, but it was no more than they deserved for a lacklustre performance.

There was very little urgency from the Greens until they were behind, and despite hitting the woodwork twice in the second half, Paget deserved the points for their effort.

It all looked so different for Bromsgrove when they took the lead after eight minutes. Lee Hughes' hopeful punt upfield was controlled and held up superbly by Costas Xiourouppa. Hughes galloped goalwards in support, latched on to Xiourouppa's through ball and hit his shot under the body of Paget 'keeper Matt Harris into the back of the net.

It was the perfect start for Rovers, and one which they were expected to build on. Instead they sat back, seemingly content to preserve their lead. But Rangers hit back in first half injury time when Brown rose highest and nodded Charlie Carpenter's left-wing free kick into the corner of the net.

Rovers started the second half positively, but their dominance was brief. Mark Creighton headed over from Hughes' corner and Kevin Banner dragged his shot wide. Banner then headed wide from Xiourouppa's cross on 53 minutes.

Costly misses

Those misses proved costly five minutes later when Brown pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the Rovers area and unleashed a left-foot shot which stand-in 'keeper Jimmy McGettrick could only watch nestle in the back of the net.

McGettrick looked slow to dive and save the shot and it raised questions as to whether he was 100 per cent match fit. But he showed his agility, on 79 minutes with a superb save from Kirk Maragh's goal-bound shot.

Bromsgrove woke up, realising they had a battle on their hands. A battle of another kind erupted after 66 minutes when Lee Hughes led with his elbow on Paget's Neil Burden when challenging for a header.

The challenge flattened Burden and Hughes was on the floor himself when Paget's Nigel Richards took a swipe at him in retaliation.

A Paget official turned the showers on believing the pair would be given their marching orders, but it was not to be. West Bromwich referee Mr H Singh bottled the chance to send both men off and gave them a yellow card each.

Dwayne McFarlane and Tim Nicholls entered the fray in a bid to grind out a result for the Greens.

They could have levelled on 80 minutes when Steve Frost's header hit the crossbar and came back out. McFarlane repeated the feat at the death when his shot cannoned off the post to safety, much to the relief of the Paget fans.

Rovers: McGettrick, Ball, Hughes (sub Nicholls 73), Townsend, Frost, Creighton (sub McFarlane 69), Bridgewater, Yates, Xiourouppa, Banner, Beckett.

Attendance: 459.

Rovers man ofthe match: Steve Frost.

Report by CHRIS VAUGHAN