Bromsgrove Rovers 0 Hemel Hempstead Town 4

Southern League Division One West

By Peter McKinney

COULD the real Bromsgrove Rovers please show up?

That's the plea from the fans as they watched their team suffer another moral sapping home defeat at the Victoria Ground at the hands of Hemel Hempstead on Saturday.

A dismal display at home left the Rovers supporters tearing their hair out at the side's inconsistency this season.

Are Rovers really an average side that has raised its game to reach the final of the Errea Southern League Cup? Or are they a team containing gifted players that has failed to find any consistency and seriously under-performed in the Southern League Division One West?

Against Hemel Rovers showed glimpses of their quality but suffered a nightmare second half where they conceded three goals.

With a hectic schedule of four games in seven days and the first leg of the final against Hitchin on Tuesday, manager Rod Brown made changes to the side that comfortably defeated Paulton two days earlier.

Winger Liam McDonald, whose loan from Worcester City has been stretched until the end of the season, made his first start. Tim Clarke came in for Lee Evans in goal.

With the cup final in the back of the players' minds Rovers made a tentative start and allowed Hemel too much space.

Delton Francis almost made a breakthrough in the 12th second but headed into goalkeeper Steve Smith's arms.

But the division's top scorer, Anthony Thomas, carved open a great chance for Hemel in the seventh minute but Dave Fotheringham prodded the ball over the bar.

Bromsgrove though were trailing when poor marking at a corner allowed Grant Carney the space to arrow a diving header past Clarke in the 14th minute.

Francis shot wide after good work down the left by Donald.

Mark Benbow lost the ball to Chris Heron and his raking low cross was powered over the bar by Carney in the 21st minute.

Rovers nearly forced a leveller when McDonald's free kick almost made Paul Edgeworth head into his own net.

Clarke smothered Fotheringham's shot on the half-hour mark. Rovers' hopes were hit when right back James Smith limped off injured after falling awkwardly. Striker Neil Davis replaced him.

Clever play by Davis set Francis on goal in the 34th minute but Smith made a good save at the right post.

Rovers were coming back into the match and Wayne Dyer found Davis in the box. The hitman crossed but Francis could not the find the target. Rovers took heart from the strong end to the first half and forced Hemel back after the break.

This left them vulnerable on the break and Chris McHale cleared Thomas's goalbound shot off the line in the 48th minute, after a typically lightening break by the striker.

Dyer got in the way of substitute Kevin Banner as he shaped to shoot in the box. The midfielder almost made up for his error in the box but he headed Banner's cross wide in the 57th minute.

Paul Moore then smashed a thumping shot that seemed to hit Dean Buss on the hand but referee Mr Tavinder waved calls for a penalty away.

But the game swung back to the visitor's favour in the 59th minute when Clarke could only tip Thomas's shot into his own net. The goal shattered Rovers' fragile confidence and spurred Hemel on.

Dyer muscled his way into the box but Smith was equal to his shot in the 64th minute. Four minutes later a shot by John Lawford that squirmed under Clarke made sure Rovers could not salvage a point.

Rovers struggled to find an opening but Hemel substitute Abdul Yoki had the freedom of the pitch to run down the left and slotted the ball past Clarke.

The goal sealed Rovers' ninth home defeat in the league and left the fans pining for Tuesday night's away trip to Hitchin.

ROVERS: Clarke 4, Smith 6 (Davis, 31mins, 6), Hillman 5, McHale 6, Geohaghan 5 (Banner, 52mins, 6), JOHNSON 7, Benbow 5, Dyer 5, Francis 5 (Reynolds, 52mins 4), Moore 5, McDonald 4.

HEMEL: Smith, Byrne, Mead, Norman, Buss, Fotheringham (Yoki, 83mins), Valenti, Heron, Carney (Lawford, 45mins), Thomas (Sippetts, 83mins), Edgworth.

Referee: Mr L Tavinder Cheddleton.

ttendance: 232.