ROVERS (1) 2 NEWCASTLE TOWN (0) 0

FA Cup first qualifying round

Goals from Kevin Banner and Jason Ramsay secured Rovers' passage into the FA Cup's second qualifying round draw at the Victoria Ground on Saturday. CAPTAIN RELIABLE: Rovers' skipper Steve Hillman ventures into Newcastle Town's half.

Not even a late start, due to the visitors' team bus being held up on the motorway, fazed Rovers.

Chris Smith had an eventful start to the game; James Jowsey could only parry his fierce shot after 12 minutes. Nine minutes later the striker saw his header just clear the crossbar from Banner's left wing cross.

Newcastle's first attack of the game almost netted them the opening goal in the 24th minute. Mick Lennon at the far post flicked on player/manager Nigel Gleghorn's free kick, but the ball evaded Steve Taaffe's lunge at the other post.

In the 27th minute a double goal-line clearance denied Rovers the lead. Leon Mitchell, in for the departed Dean Curtis, saw his header blocked on the line by Jowsey and Matt Barnes-Homer latched onto the loose ball - only for Dean Gillick to be in the right place at the right time to clear.

Smith was then hurt in a collision with Jowsey on 31 minutes, as he challenged for Banner's cross, and after a six minute hold up was stretchered off with serious facial injuries and taken to hospital for a check up. Ramsay replaced the striker when play resumed. Rovers took the lead as they entered time added on.

Newcastle had a free kick on the edge of the Rovers' area. Paul Harris floated in the kick and Lee Evans claimed the ball and in an instant threw the ball to Barnes-Homer.

The winger passed to Wayne Dyer - and his sweeping crossfield ball was dummied by Ramsay, who allowed Banner to fire in from the edge of the area across Jowsey and into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

Martin Ridley deflected Matt Johnson's shot straight into Jowsey's hands after 48 minutes.

Mitchell had a shot saved at the foot of the post by Jowsey on 56 minutes.

Newcastle were almost level on 57 minutes when Taaffe's shot beat Evans only for it to cannon off the post and straight back into the keepers hands. Johnson picked up a booking for a silly foul in the 65th minute.

Jowsey spilled Banner's corner on 82 minutes but recovered well to save at the feet of Exodus Geohaghan. Banner then fired in a 25-yard free kick that Jowsey saved diving to his left a minute later.

With five minutes left the goal that settled the tie arrived when Mark Benbow's right wing cross was met by Ramsay's diving header inside the six-yard area, who planted the ball past the helpless Jowsey.

The only black mark on Rovers' book was when Johnson received his marching orders for a second bookable offence for time wasting, when asking referee Mr A Lindsay from Nottingham, 'how much time left'.

Rovers: Evans, Johnson, Hillman, Male, Geohaghan, Hadland, Barnes-Homer (Benbow, 70mins ), Dyer (Erraji, 66mins ), Mitchell, Smith (Ramsay, 36mins), Banner .

Newcastle: Jowsey, Gillick, Weston, Ridley, Diskin, Gleghorn, Harris, Woodvine (Johnson, 31mins ), Taaffe (Kiely, 66mins), Lennon, Talbot (Vladi, 80mins).

Referee : Mr A. Lindsay (Nottingham)

Attendance: 242

By Steve Riddick