Bromsgrove Rovers 4 Thame United 0

Southern League Division One West

By Peter McKinney

STRIKER Neil Davis bagged a hat trick as ruthless Rovers mercilessly dismantled bottom side Thames United at the Victoria Ground on Saturday.

Manager Rod Brown's most successful week since taking the hot seat at Rovers was sealed by the sight of his goal-shy team handing out a thumping to the Southern League Division One West's basement boys.

Even more pleasing for Rovers' manager was that striker Davis bagged what he hopes will be a confidence boosting hat trick.

Add to this that only five days before the Thame match Rovers had stunned Premier Division high flyers Chippenham Town 2-1 to book their place in the Errea Southern League Cup Final it was safe to say that Brown had enjoyed his most succesful week yet at Rovers.

Brown kept faith with almost the same team that stunned Chippenham, apart from bringing back Davis and to play a more attacking 3-5-2 formation.

Pleasingly he also had a strong bench, with Delton Francis, Steve Hillman and Chris McHale all returning from injury to play a part as substitutes. Before the match there was an immaculately observed minute's silence for former director Peter Slater.

Rovers, still on a high from their mid-week cup heroics, started the match at a ferocious pace with winger Kevin Banner dictating the game. The Bromsgrove man flashed a curling shot wide of the post in the seventh minute after Davis slipped the ball to him.

Two minutes later Davis shot over after emergency right back James Smith's long ball dissected Thame's ragged defence.

Wayne Dyer, who was given space all afternoon by Thame, released Paul Moore down the left and his low centre was cleared before Davis could pounce in the 13th minute.

Davis though confirmed the home team's superiority with a classy finish in the 14th minute. The striker impudently flicked Banner's low centre past goalkeeper Paul Searl at the near post.

Rovers kept the pressure on and Mark Benbow's thundering shot crashed off the right hand post on the 20 minute mark.

Riad Erraji and Davis missed chances to score and Thame grew in confidence by the end of the first half. Pacey front man Darren Moore sped past Joe Williams and sent in a hanging cross that Tom Goffe headed towards the far post, but Smith desperately cleared off the line in the 33rd minute.

The home side though doubled the lead in the 42nd minute when they scored against the run of play. Moore beat the visitor's offside trap but 'keeper Searl seemed to be on hand to avert a goal when he rushed out. The ball squirmed out of his hands and allowed the striker to score into an empty net.

The goal deflated Thame and Rovers swiftly took advantage at the start of the second half. Smith's accurate long pass found Dyer, who then powered forward.

The midfielder slipped the ball to Davis, who coolly slotted it past Searl.

The goal killed off the game and Rovers dictated play without really threatening for much of the half. Only in the game's dying stages did Rovers really push for goals. Banner flashed a shot wide in the 79th minute, while Davis also shot off target in the 83rd.

Dyer burst through the midfield , powered into the penalty area and picked out Davis, who unleashed a powerful shot that Searl acrobatically turned away for a corner. From the set piece Davis headed in at the far post to seal a comfortable win.

ROVERS: Evans 6, Smith 6, Williams 6 (Hillman, 65mins, 5), Snape 6, Geohaghan 6, Erraji 6, Benbow 6 (Johnson, 70, 5), Dyer 7, DAVIS 8, Moore 7 (Francis, 70, 6), Banner 7.

THAME: Searl, Bradley (Freeman, 63), Hocking, Tregurta, Eason, Majid, Rhodes (Way, 45), Goffe, Moore, Groves.

Referee: Mr MG Murphy.

Attendance: 267.