Hitchin Town 1 Bromsgrove Rovers 0

Errea Southern League Cup Final first leg

BROMSGROVE Rovers still have a chance of winning the Errea Southern League Cup after a battling performance at Hitchin Town on Tuesday night.

Rovers more than matched their Premier Division rivals despite going into the home leg on April 25 trailing to Josh Sozzo's second half penalty.

Rovers will be confident of over turning Hitchin after creating the best scoring chances in the game.

Manager Rod Brown re-called Phil Male, Neil Davis, Riad Erraji, John Snape and Luke Evans into the side that lost 4-0 to Hemel Hempstead Town.

He also kept Wayne Dyer and Luke Reynolds on the bench just in case he needed extra firepower.

Winger Kevin Banner created a great chance in the 24th minute when he sent in a cross from the left but Hitchin 'keeper Richard Wilmot was equal to Neil Davis's deft chip at the near post.

Undeterred Rovers kept looking for a goal and Erraji's 37th minute cross was slipped past Wilmot by Benbow, only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Wilmot denied Rovers twice in the final five minutes of the first half.

The goalkeeper made an acrobatic save to tip Paul Moore's fierce 25-yard shot in the 40th minute. He then saved from a similar angle from Erraji two minutes later.

But the home side went 1-0 up three minutes into the second half. Male brought down Josh Sozzo and the striker converted the penalty. Rovers went in search of a leveller but goalkeeper Lee Evans had to be alert to save Mark Ducket's goalbound shot.

HITCHIN: Wilmot, Pugh, Ducket, Hammonds, Foulds, Deeney, Lamarcraft, Hicks, Jaggard, Sozzo, French. Substitutes: Lockhead, Maitland, Ayres, Hayes, Mills.

ROVERS: Evans, Johnson, Williams, Male, Geohaghan, Snape, Erraji, Benbow, Davies, Moore, Banner. Substitutes: Reynolds, McDonald, McHale, Hillman, Dyer.

Referee: Mr J Linnington.

Man of the match: Snape

Attendance: 379.