Solihull Borough 1 Bromsgrove Rovers 1

Southern League Division One West

By Peter McKinney

BROMSGROVE Rovers held off sustained pressure to earn a battling point at Solihull Borough on Easter Bank Holiday Monday.

Rovers showed a battling quality to see off a Solihull side that controlled the second half but lacked the cutting edge to break down a well-organised side.

The draw sealed a positive weekend and four points out of a possible six.

Rovers were facing a Solihull side determined to end a slump in form.

The home side contained two former Bromsgrove Rovers players, including defender Ross Collins and goalkeeper Shaun Hayes. Defender Neil Manton, who played under Rovers boss Rod Brown at Redditch United, was Solihull's captain.

The Rovers boss shuffled a fully fit squad, resting Exodus Geohaghan, John Snape and Neil Davis.

Rovers, buoyed by the last gasp 2-1 win over Stourport two days before, made a bright start.

Joe Williams headed Wayne Dyer's corner wide in the first minute.

Striker Luke Reynolds opened the scoring in the third minute.

The striker headed Kevin Banner's cross wide but Matt Johnson stabbed the ball back in and it ricocheted off Reynold's shin for a goal.

Reynolds was enjoying a strong start to the game and was winning all the aerial challenges before tiring in the second half.

Goalkeeper Lee Evans kept out Phil Rowe's in-swinging corner in the 20th minute.

The visitors started to fade after their good start and the home side deservedly equalised in the 27th minute, when Justin Marsden raced into the box and slotted the ball past Evans.

Rovers' 'keeper saved Craig Dutton's header in the 34th minute.

Banner delivered a good cross but Mark Benbow couldn't reach it in time at the far post.

Banner then headed at Solihull 'keeper Hayes at the start of the second half.

But the visitors were forced back as Solihull searched for a second goal. Rowe headed Marsden's cross wide in the 57th minute.

Rovers though were solid enough to keep out Borough.

Rowe opened up Rovers with a teasing shot across goal in the 73rd minute but no was around to tap it past Evans.

Banner was Rovers' most creative player and he delivered a raking cross from the left that substitute Neil Davis dived for in the 75th minute.

Riad Erraji then made sure of a deserved point for Rovers when he blocked Dutton's goalbound shot in the 90th minute.

ROVERS: Evans 6, Johnson 6 (McDomald, 74mins, 5), Williams 6, Male 7, McHale 6, Erraji 6, Benbow 5, Dyer 6, Reynolds 5 (Davis, 66mins, 6), Moore 5 (Francis, 74mins, 5), BANNER 8.

SOLIHULL: Hayes, Moran, Hie, Hall, Collins, Manton, Rowe, Dutton, Pearson, Marsden, Petty (Tayler, 67mins). Attendance: 207.