Cinderford Town 1 Bromsgrove Rovers 3

Southern League Division One West

By Peter McKinney

overs' victory on Saturday at the Causeway made sure that there's still life in the club's ailing play-offs aspirations in the Southern League Division One West.

Late goals for Joe Williams and double hero Paul Moore and a determined performance by manager Rod Brown's team made sure of maximum points.

Rovers produced a gutsy, never-say-die performance to weather heavy Cinderford pressure throughout the game and then make sure of the points with a late flurry of goals.

Even more impressive was the fact that Rovers won the game with a patched up side. Brown was missing Southern League Cup two-goal hero Luke Reynolds, who was on a holiday he had arranged before joining from Oldbury, the injured Steve Williams and Gavin Hurren, who was recalled back into Kidderminster Harriers' first team squad.

Brown opted to bring workhorse Mark Benbow into midfield and Moore up front, while Joe Williams stayed in defence.

It was the hosts who started brightly on a crisp, bright day in Gloucestershire. Matt Johnson's misplaced pass went straight to Richard Kear in the fourth minute but the defender recovered to block the forward as he ventured in the box.

The hosts were piling on the pressure and they opened the scoring in the seventh minute.

Mike Green ran down the right wing and sent in an early pass. Kear stepped over ball to wrong foot Rovers' defence and Keith Knight burst between Chris McHale and Exodus Geohaghan to side the ball under Lee Evans.

But the visitors levelled the scores four minutes later. Kevin Banner found Neil Davis in the box and his cross to the far post was controlled by the unmarked Moore and smashed into the roof of the net from an acute angle.

Evans proved his quality in goal with a double save in the 18th minute. The goalkeeper parried Luke Buttery's goal bound shot and the dived to his left to deny Jamie Hammonds as he slid in to convert the rebound.

As the first half wore Rovers began to impose themselves on the game. In the 33rd minute John Snape curled in a ball from the right and Banner headed towards the right corner. Goalkeeper Steve Benbow stretched to reach the effort but Moore arrived late to challenge him and the ball ricocheted off both players for a goalkick.

Johnson's astute slide-rule pass down the right set Davis free in the box and he forced Benbow into a fine save. From the resulting corner, Snape was unlucky to see his near post header just go wide.

Moore then hammered a volley across Cinderford's goal in the 35th minute after good work by Wayne Dyer down the left. Johnson saw his dipping free kick from 20-yards out fly just inches wide of the Benbow's crossbar.

Rovers made two fine chances in the opening minutes of the second half but Will Steadman made a great tackle on Davis as he shaped to shoot, while Moore fired just wide of the left hand post.

Evans, who was enjoying a fine game in goal, kept Cinderford at bay in the 54th minute. He saved Knight's goal bound shot and then acrobatically flung himself to his left to palm away Kear's follow up.

McHale led Rovers' fight back when he charged up to Cinderford's penalty area and sent in a cross that Davis looped onto the crossbar in the 58th minute. Steadman's 75th minute header crashed off the cross bar, but Benbow tipped over Dyer's shot from a corner sixty seconds later. Rovers edged ahead in the 86th minute when Johnson's corner fell to Williams in the box and he scored.

Moore's 87th minute shot was wide of the target after good work by Davis and Greg Lewis cleared Banner's low cross off the line. But Moore bagged his second and made sure of three points in the 92nd minute.

Snape headed Benbow's clearance into Banner's path and he sent in a low cross, which the striker side-footed into the back of the net.

ROVERS: EVANS 8, Johnson 6 (Smith, 80mins, 6), Williams 6, Geohaghan 6, McHale 7, Snape 7, Benbow 7, Dyer 6, Moore 7, Davis 7, Banner 6.

CINDERFORD: Benbow, Mayo, Buttery, Griffiths, Steadman, Burns, Green, Knight (Lewis 86mins), Kear, Hoskins (Williams 70mins), Hammonds (Aubrey, 87mins).

Referee: Wayne Barrett (Halesowen). Attendance: 146.