Kempston Rovers continued their resurgence in form with a third straight win and third successive clean sheet as they triumphed against Ashford Town. A result that keeps Rovers’ play off hopes in their own hands.
The game itself took a while to warm up, with only half chances in the initial twenty minutes; the best of which resulted in a header blocked on the line and then scrambled clear. Kempston were on top of the game in the first half, the visitors only registering one shot on goal in the half. A long range effort that was comfortably beaten away by Conway. Kempston could and perhaps should have been in front before the break when Jake Newman went through on goal, only to see his path blocked. The ball fell kindly to Robbie Goodman, but the midfielder blazed over from twelve yards. The referee blew for the break with the game still goal less and dominated by robust, pressing football in the middle of the park.
The second half began perfectly for Rovers, little over five minutes in and a lofted cross from the left by Luke Heneghan was met by the nose of Ash Fuller, as he diverted the ball beyond the keeper for the opening goal. Ash Fuller’s third far post goal in three games. After the goal, Kempston were in control of the game, the visitors were limited to half chances that were not capitalised on. With just over seventy minutes played, Rovers doubled their lead. Substitute Manny Sundire, thirty seconds after coming on, received the ball and attacked at pace down the right hand channel, after powering past the defender he squared across the box for the unmarked Jake Newman to tap in his first goal in Kempston colours.
Rovers had two late chances to add gloss to a fairly tepid game; in the eighty fourth minute, a corner was worked short to substitute Sam Macrae on the edge of the box and his fizzing shot had to be acrobatically tipped wide by the visiting keeper. The final chance came in the final minute quite by accident; Mickey Lyon cleared the ball from the half way line, high and long. It began to dip quickly and had the Ashford keeper worried, but it went just over the bar. Kempston were comfortable winners in the end.

Rovers line up
1 Conway, 2 Lyon, 3 Ridgway, 4 Goodman, 5 Simpson, 6 Fryer, 7 Heneghan, 8 Shepherd, 9 Ivy, 10 Newman, 11 Fuller
Subs 12 Macrae, 15 Boland, 16 Sundire
Man of the Match was awarded to Seb Simpson
Attendance 60

By Matthew Wilmot