DMW October 16, 1999

IN another case of what might have been, Rovers had much the better of long passages of play but perennial failings came back to haunt them.

The Greens' inability to put the ball in the back of the net and loss of concentration at a vital moment conspired to condemn them to a defeat which brought their recent good away form to a juddering halt.

It was pretty much one-way traffic throughout the first half, with Rovers responding well to their crushing FA Trophy exit the previous Saturday.

Only the alertness and reactions of home keeper Matthew Lowe foiled Richard Congrave, who hit a dipping, 30-yard volley in the fifth minute, and Kevin Ashley, whose 20 yard free kick a quarter of an hour later was likewise tipped over for a corner.

Under-pressure Blakenall, restricted to isolated breakaways as the Greens dominated, could not believe their luck as they found themselves one-up at half time, scoring just seconds before the interval at the Red Lion Stadium.

Striker John Muir had the fairly simple task of burying a header past goalkeeper Derek Dudley after Daniel Rochester nodded on a cross from a free kick as Rovers were caught out.

Understandably shell-shocked by this blow -- so typical of the Greens' misfortunes this season -- the visitors had to weather a sustained barrage by Blakenall for 20 minutes from the restart.

It was to Rovers' credit that they managed to hold firm without conceding further goals, with Mark Bowater a rock in the middle of defence and Dudley dealing capably with everything thrown at him.

Any hopes Rovers had of salvaging something from the encounter probably dissipated with the enforced departures of striker Richard Ball and central defender and skipper Russell Dodd through leg injuries in the closing stages.

There was still time, however, for Ryan Daley to come close to forcing a draw, which would have been the least the visitors deserved.

Rovers: Dudley, Ashley, Ulfig, Davies, Bowater, Dodd (sub Jinks 77), Cooper, Ball (sub Benbow 66), Congrave, Daley, Bytheway. Sub (unused): Bannister.

Attendance: 150. Rovers man of the match: Mark Bowater.