Beaconsfield SYCOB 1 Bromsgrove Rovers 2

Southern League Division One West

By Peter McKinney

THE fans and management had conflicting views as Rovers left Buckinghamshire with all three points after a backs-to-the-wall display against relegation battling Beaconsfield SYCOB on Saturday.

The small squad of travelling fans who made the trip left Beaconsfield were relieved to see their side hold onto a victory they looked like throwing away.

Ben Porter and Kevin Banner had put the visitors 2-0 up in a game they dominated. But in a nerve-shredding final half an hour Rovers had to withstand a battering from Beaconsfield.

Unlike the fans Rovers' manager Jimmy Mullen was disappointed with his side's lacklustre performance near the end, despite bagging all three points.

He said: "We almost threw away a game that we totally dominated. We fell asleep once we went 2-0 up.

"I'm happy that we won, but I was unhappy with the way we played. It wasn't good enough."

The Rovers boss will have been pleased that his side had totally controlled the match until complacency set in.

Mullen kept faith with the line-up that thrashed Evesham 5-0 at Common Road in mid-week, meaning Carl Adams kept his place in a midfield trio with Scott Hadland and Wayne Dyer in a 4-3-3 formation.

Rovers started positively. Matthew Barnes-Homer sprinted down the right wing in the third minute and sent in a low cross, which forced SYCOB 'keeper Julian Taylor to dive at Ben Porter's feet.

Kieran Gradwell sent a diving header wide of the post from Jason Bowler's free kick in the seventh minute.

Barnes-Homer was providing Rovers' creative spark down the wing. Porter and Kevin Banner missed his teasing 24th minute cross. Wayne Dyer then tested Taylor with a header from Barnes-Homer's deep cross in the 37th minute.

Porter though bagged his third goal in two games in the 38th minute with a near post header from Banner's corner.

Tantalisingly crossed

The hosts nearly caught out Rovers a minute later, when Gary King wormed his way into the box and tantalisingly crossed, only for Steve Hillman to clear.

Rovers started the second half with the same verve and Porter set Barnes-Homer towards goal, but Taylor was equal to his powerful shot.

The lead was doubled in the 58th minute after Rover's towering centre back, Exodus Geohaghan, was tripped by Allan Arthur in the penalty area. Banner made no mistake when he rifled the spot-kick into the bottom right hand corner.

With a 2-0 lead Rovers seemed to become complacent and they were punished when SYCOB pulled a goal back in the 62nd minute.

'Keeper Tim Clarke fumbled a free-kick under pressure from Bowler and as Rovers' defence stood like mannequins Arthur had time and space to prod the ball into the back of the net.

All of a sudden Rovers were rattled and the addition of lanky striker Roy Gumbs, who is almost as tall as Geohaghan, caused problems throughout as Beaconsfield pegged the visitors back in their own half.

Rovers were let off the hook when substitute Terry Gibbs headed over an open goal after Gumbs had got his head to a free kick in the 80th minute.

Dyer almost soothed the nerves with a surging run into Beaconsfield's box in the 93rd minute, but Taylor blocked him.

When the final whistle blew the relief was palpable with the travelling support, which left grateful to have won. In contrast Mullen was left wondering when his side would find their feet in the league.

ROVERS: Clarke 6, Johnson 6 (Williams, 79mins, 5), Hillman 7, Male 7, Geohaghan 6, Hadland 6, Barnes-Homer 7 (Maguire, 74mins, 6), Porter 6, Dyer 6, ADAMS 7, Banner 6.

BEACONSFIELD: Taylor 7, Dell 6, King 5 (Griffiths, 44mins, 6), Stanley 5, Leach 6, Gradwell 6, Jeffries 5, Sear (Gibbs, 71mins, 6), Pritchard 5 (Gumbs, 64mins, 7), Arthur 6, Bowler 6. Attendance: 92

Referee: Mr R D Smith (Croydon).