Moles dig their own hole

A goal in each half secured victory for Rovers on a mild Spring afternoon after weeks of cold and rain to extend the unbeaten run to six games.
Kempston welcomed Grant Fryer back in to the side for this game, his first game since Remembrance Day, when he was carried from the field with concussion.

It was Rovers that started the brighter against the hugely out of form visitors. Josh Crawley put an inviting ball into the box, helped on by Munashe Sundire but was scrambled clear. Moments later, Jake Newman flashed a volley wide of the mark before Luke Heneghan stung the hands of Perkins in the visitors’ goal. Robbie Goodman then put a shot across the goal, which was fumbled by Perkins before he was rescued by his defence. In the twentieth minute, Rovers took the lead. A free kick from deep on the right was played in, Goodman was on hand to help the ball on, where it was diverted into the net by the luckless Jordan Jenkins in the home defence. Three minutes later, the lead should’ve been doubled as Crawley and Heneghan combined to feed Newman, who managed to get the shot on target. Jenkins managed to get enough of a hand to the ball to take the pace off the ball and managed to recover and stop the ball on the line. Munashe Sundire dragged a shot wide of the near post, before Heneghan saw another effort blocked. Crawley had the final chance of the half when his attempted lob was blocked as he lined it up. Rovers went in just the one goal up, with the visitors’ best opportunity a wild lash over from Deacon.

The second half began at a slightly more pedestrian pace, with both sides making changes, there was a bit of an end of season feel to the game. It was stirred into life on the hour mark as Shane Almond kicked out at Robbie Goodman. Match photography picked up a clear headbutt by the Aylesbury player. The referee asked the two captains to make sure their teams calmed down rather than hand out cards. Goodman, seemed to use the incident as inspiration, as two minutes later, he rose like a majestic salmon at the far post to meet a glorious cross from Ben Shepherd to power home a full-blooded header to double the lead. It was the defender’s twentieth goal for the club since joining in 2015. Aylesbury had a chance to put one back, but sub Kai Stubbs screwed his effort across goal rather than toward the target. Shepherd and Goodman combined again from a free kick in the seventy fifth minute, Jenkins kept the ball out at the second attempt after an initial spill. A tame free kick from Almond was the last opportunity for the visitors, while sub Jamaine Ivy saw a late effort blocked in the area before the referee blew for time.

The result extends the unbeaten run to six matches and saw Martin Conway add another clean sheet to the stats sheet. Results elsewhere keep Rovers in ninth place. Victory in the game in hand will draw Rovers level with both Bedford Town and Chalfont St. Peter, but will still see Rovers short of the play offs.

Rovers now have three away games, starting on Tuesday at Hanwell Town ahead of next Saturday’s trip to our great friends at Chalfont St. Peter before rounding off the road trip with the re-scheduled trip to Barton next Tuesday.