12/11/05 - Benbow off in battle of Bath

FA Trophy

MIDFIELDER Mark Benbow was the victim of mistaken identity as a sedate FA Trophy clash erupted into violence at Twerton Park on Saturday.

Benbow was handed a straight red card by referee Mr L Swabey after a brawl broke out in the match's dying minutes when he was mistaken for Rovers' midfield enforcer Scott Hadland.

The game had been fizzling out after strikes by Tony Bird and Jon Holloway put Bath City City 2-0 up.

Home goalkeeper Paul Evans and Hadland came to blows when scrapping for the ball in the 90th minute and started a mass brawl involving all the players.

Mr Swabey gave Evans and Bath defender Gethin Jones red cards and then sent off Benbow.

The midfielder must have been mistaken for Hadland, who somehow escaped a booking for his punch-up with Evans.

Manager Jimmy Mullen partnered Paul Szewczyk with Ben Porter up front and the duo's work rate posed problems throughout.

Winger Andy Sandell terrorised Rovers down the left and it was from one of his many raids that he won a corner, which Rovers could not clear in the 11th minute.

The ball came back to Sandell and he set up Tony Bird - who dispatched a rasping drive from the edge of the box into goalkeeper Lee Evans' left hand corner.

Szewczyk was close to scoring two minutes later but swept Kevin Banner's low cross just wide of the post. Bird should have scored, after a great pass by Adie Harris, but lobbed just wide of Lee Evans' goal.

Johnson saw his long-range effort just fly over the bar in the 26th minute and Porter shot at Bath's goalkeeper.

A goal on the stroke of half time knocked the wind out of Rovers' sail. Matt Johnson scythed down Sandell on the half way line.

The winger sent in a free kick, which Lee Evans rushed out and missed. The ball hit midfielder Holloway on the back of the head as he stooped and trickled over the line to make it 2-0.

Bath made the running at the start of the second half and Sandell came close to scoring twice.

In the 60th minute Rovers were lucky not to concede a third when Bird, Holloway and Scott Partridge all missed Barry McConnell's raking cross. Bird hit the crossbar when he slid into reach Partridge's centre in the 70th minute.

Paul Szewczyk drove into the box after good work by Wayne Dyer and was knocked off the ball by Gethin Jones, but Mr Swabey ignored what looked an excellent shout for a penalty in the 76th minute.

The striker then slid in at the far post for Dyers' excellent free kick, but was just wide.

The match exploded into the 88th minute. Porter burst through Bath's defence but Evans was equal to his shot.

The home goalkeeper then ran out of the box to battle Scott Hadland for the ball.

The two players went to ground and exchanged blows. The South African goalkeeper then grabbed Hadland by his shirt and players from both sides surrounded them.

The referee sent off Evans and Jones, for allegedly punching Mark Benbow, but the Rovers' midfielder was unjustly sent off for a crime he did not commit.

Rovers: Evans 6, Johnson 6 (Benbow, 44mins, 6), Williams 7, Hillmam 7, Geohaghan 7, HADLAND 8, Maguire 6 (Barnes-Homer, 61mins 5), Dyer 7, Szewczyk 7, Porter 7, Banner 6.

Bath: P Evans 6, S Jones 6, Power 7, Coupe 7, G Jones 5, Adie Harris 7, McConnell 7 (Rollo, 74mins, 5), Holloway 6, Bird 7 (Walsh, 84mins, 6), Partridge 5 (Clarke, 98mins, 5) Sandell 8.

Bookings: Johnson - yellow, Hadland - yellow, Benbow - red, G Jones - red, P Evans - red.

Attendance: 423.

Referee: Mr L Swabey.

By Peter McKinney