THE GAME
Rovers’ four match unbeaten run came to an end at league leaders Bromley as they were beaten 1-0 and ended the game with ten men following the second half dismissal of half time substitute Shaq Forde.
Steve Evans made three changes to the side that were 2-0 winners at barrow in midweek after illness affected some played included in the travelling party. Missing from the starting XI were Joe Quigley, Alfie Kilgour and Tommy Leigh who were replaced by Tom Lockyer, Ellis Harrison and Mees Rijks. Lockyer was handed the captain’s armband, while Rijks was making his first start for the club.
The hosts, unbeaten at home in the league all season, made a positive start to the match and forced two early corners that were comfortably dealt with by Rovers. However, Bromley were enjoying a great deal of possession and Clinton Mola made two important interventions as they threatened to overrun Steve Evans’ side.
The pressure told after 18 minutes when Marcus Ifill found Corey Whitely whose pass found Will Hondermarck and his shot beat Bradley Young at his near post.
In response Rovers created an opportunity for Harrison, but his header from Ryan De Havilland’s cross was comfortably saved by Grant Smith. Fabrizio Cavegn saw his shot blocked and from the rebound Rijks tried his luck with a shot straight at Smith.
Just as he did in the game against Crewe Alexandra seven days earlier, Evans made three substitutions at the start of the second half, sending on Forde, Quigley and Yusuf Akhamrich in place of Harrison, Rijks and Cavegn.
Akhamrich featured early on and saw his left foot shot blocked, but Bromley might well have doubled their lead shortly afterwards. The impressive Mitch Pinnock saw his cross from the left reach Nicke Kabamba who fired his angled drive over the crossbar.
Young then did well to save a shot from Whitely with his outstretched leg and when the loose ball was collected by Jesse Debrah, his effort was blocked on the line.
Rovers then enjoyed what was probably their best spell of the game. Mola saw his header saved by Smith and Joel Senior saw his shot blocked by Idris Odutayo.
Young saved again, this time from Kabamba, but Rovers soon threatened again at the other end of the pitch as Kane Thompson-Sommers seeing his effort blocked and Jack Sparkes volleying a shot over the bar.
Akhamrich saw a shot blocked and Mola’s follow up effort met the same fate before an opportunity fell to Quigley who collected a cross from Senior and, when well placed, volleyed a shot over the bar.
With Rovers on top and pressing for an equaliser, Forde collected his second yellow card of the match, and subsequent red, and headed for the dressing room. With him went any hopes of rescuing at least a point.
Rovers lost their momentum and the home side comfortably saw out the remainder of the game to continue their march towards promotion. For Rovers it was a disappointing afternoon but with a home game to follow against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday, they have an opportunity to return to winning ways.
WHAT WAS SAID
‘I think, there’s no doubt, we’re second best in the first half. We make some changes, and there’s no doubt we’re the best in the second half. We made a couple of golden chances in the first half, to equalise against the run of play because it’s not as if Bromley were making chances, but we made three good chances, didn’t take any of them. In the second half, there was some fantastic play. Joe Quigley had quite a simple chance; he tried to blast it into the roof of the net, but it was easier just to pass it in.
‘I thought we had totally dominant spells until Shaq Forde had been silly in a challenge. I think the referee could have managed it better, but I don’t think he had a good performance himself, the referee, but he’s not the reason we lost. We lost because they took a chance, it took a deflection and went past the keeper, and there was nothing else in the game. I thought we were better for long spells in the second half.
‘We work on a system and a pattern, and I think it’s taken away from us. Tommy at ten o’clock this morning, and Alfie when we arrive at the stadium. He couldn’t keep anything down, so we obviously had to change it up. People come into the team, and the shape changes a little bit. But obviously, we never got it right in the first half; I have to take responsibility for that.’ Rovers Head Coach Steve Evans
‘It’s a tough one to take because we battled for large parts of the game. We started off slow; the first half wasn’t really great. We had some chances that we missed, and we weren’t really playing our game in the first half. But in the second half, I think we made some changes, and I think we won them, really putting the pressure on them, and we withstood their pressure as well, and then obviously the red card is just a moment of madness, and it was tough to get back in, but I think the boys battled well today.
‘I felt like a goal was coming. I feel like we had more territory in the right areas, and then getting in their half, making more passes, and looking more threatening.
‘We could have actually probably won both games that we played against them this season but, obviously, they are top of the league for a reason; they are good at what they do, and I think for large parts of the games we dealt with their threats. I think Tom Lockyer and Kofi Balmer were good at dealing with their nine as well, and it is just disappointing.
‘We have definitely made progress, but we know, even in there speaking, we can’t get carried away, we can’t think that just because we won a few games that we are done. We still need to keep going, every game, every day in training, but there has definitely been a progression in the last few weeks, and we are looking better, we are playing better, we are more solid.’ Rovers midfielder Clinton Mola
‘I thought the performance was good. We were unlucky to not get a second goal which was a really unbelievable move. I can sense a little bit of anxiety around the place. A little bit of nerves. I don’t know why; it wasn’t that long ago we were playing Wealdstone and other teams like that here. We know we should be really enjoying where we’re at, but I understand it as well. We want to keep this run going here. We want to keep at the top of the table. We need everyone just to keep their cool and relax and stay with us.
I thought the lads were brilliant. I don’t like singling players out, but I thought the skipper – Omar Sowunmi, I thought he was brilliant today. Him and Jesse I thought they were solid at the back. Really didn’t let them have an opportunity. I thought that was as good as I said for them two. Overall, you know, it’s a Bristol Rovers side that are not going to come here and just roll over. They’re going to come here and give us a game and I thought credit to them. They’ve took 10 points out of 12, another team in form. So it was never going to be an easy game.”
‘Let’s give a bit of respect to Steve Evans. You know, he’s managed at a good level. Well he knows how to grind out results and get results and stay in games and he did that today. I think I’m glad this one’s out of the way if I’m honest. It was a I wouldn’t say a banana skin, but it was a game on paper people thought was probably a lot easier than it was. And I never thought that for one minute.’ Bromley boss Andy Woodman
