The game kicked off in glorious sunshine on the south coast and Kempston had the first real effort on goal as Jake Newman was put through on goal only for his shot to bobble and roll harmlessly wide. The hosts then made Rovers pay in the sixteenth minute as Ryan Pennery latched onto a floated through pass, riding the challenge of Seb Simpson to round Conway and slide the ball into the empty net. Pennery spurned a great chance to double his side’s advantage, heading wide from a few yards out. Rovers started to play some neat football and in the twenty seventh minute, a move down the right hand side started by Michael Lyon few Jamaine Ivy, whos ball into the box was put just wide by Ben Shepherd. In the thirty eighth minute, Moneyfields did make it two nil. A corner into the six yard box was bundled into the net by Sam Pearce.
In the forty second minute, the game changed completely. Up until this point, the game was physically contested and very even, but after a lunging challenge on Simpson, there was some arguing and pushing. Simpson was shown a straight red card for an alleged headbutt. Although from where Rovers’ fans were standing it was very unclear if this was the case. The Moneyfields player was booked for the challenge. Three minutes later Rovers clearly felt they should have had a corner as the ball was headed out by a Moneyfields player, a goal kick was given. In the protests, Grant Fryer was deemed to have crossed the line with the referee who showed a yellow card for dissent. Less than a minute later, Moneyfields’ Steve Hutchings cleverly won a free kick from minimal contact and the referee showed Fryer his second yellow, leaving Rovers facing the second half with only nine men.
Given the two man advantage, it is unsurprising that Moneyfields controlled the second half, which was played at a much slower pace than the first. However, it was Rovers that impacted the scoreline after the break. In the fifty seventh minute, Jake Newman closed down the goalkeeper and blocked his clearance, leaving himself with a tap in. He duly obliged and made the scoreline respectable. It was a game of half chances for the home side after this, with a number of long range efforts and snatched headers.
Fifteen minutes from time, the referee again caused a stir. Moneyfields substitute Gary Austin conceded and innocuous foul on the edge of the Kempston area, it was a great shock to see the red card flourished again. Even Rovers commented that it was a harsh red card. Rovers pressed forward in the final minutes in search of an unlikely leveller, the kind they were famous for last season. Callum Lewis had two good chances, shooting over the bar and not stretching enough to head a cross in and Nathan Tshikuna curled a shot just wide of the post. Moneyfields held on to claim the points.