HOT SHOTS: Sam Alsop took advantage of an Bath defensive error to give Rovers the lead, while Jermaine Clarke headed home the winner.
THEY may have lined up against a team of students but it was Rovers who were the main beneficiaries when the grants were handed out on Saturday afternoon.
In a week which saw Rod Brown reading the lectures - ordering his first team squad to serve detention by appearing in last Wednesday's 4-2 Central Conference reserve win over Burton Albion - the Greens found the perfect response to their lacklustre and lethargic showing at Merthyr Tydfil.
And starved of Lucan Spittle's composure and presence at centre back as well as width and invaluable attacking supply from Kevin Banner, the Greens were always going to need a slice of good fortune against the goal-hungry Premier Division pace-setters.
Not to do this performance a disservice, however.
They produced a display of professionalism, steel and discipline - an ideal tonic for overpowering their youthful, energetic but inexperienced opponents.
But it was more by school boy error than academic excellence that Rovers were set on their way to three points against the plucky young university side.
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Sam Alsop, resuming his potent central midfield partnership with Dave Bridgwater after a brief flirtation on the left of midfield, capitalised on a communication blunder between home goalkeeper Darren Chitty and centre back Gary Warren to give his side the lead on the stroke of half time.
Under pressure from Alsop, the Bath skipper attempted to head a routine low ball back to a Chitty, and seemingly wrong footed the stranded stopper on the edge of his own box.
The incoming Alsop rounded Chitty, and left with a tight angle to contend with, guided the ball into the bottom corner.
It galvanised the game as a spectacle, and particularly helped Rovers find their attacking impetus.
They had been far from second best in a uneventful first half, but despite both Gary Hay and Jermaine Clarke seeing headers sail off target they lacked any real spark or incisive openings.
But after an opening half that had seemingly put the Merthyr miseries to bed, the travelling Rovers support must have felt a despairing sense of deja-vu, as Team Bath received a return gift just four minutes after Alsop's opener.
John Snape, deputising for the unfit Spittle, slipped when sweeping up a seemingly unthreatening long clearance.
His back pass was well short of Karl Lewis, and Matt Williams obliged in easily slotting the equaliser to the keeper's left.
It was the only black mark in an otherwise resolute display from the Greens' back four, although it was some clinical finishing at the other end that was the key to this victory.
New boy Les Hines produced a pin-point delivery from a 52nd minute corner, which was met uncontested by Jermaine Clarke.
The forward produced a trademark leap to powerfully dispatch his header past Chitty.
But aside from Team Bath's moments of defensive instability, Rovers proved true the old adage that you make your own luck.
Sure, they will do and probably already have played better this season.
In truth they should have put Bath out of sight, with the outstretched Clarke narrowly failing to reach another probing Hines delivery, while he later skimmed the bar from long range after brilliantly exchanging passes with Hay.
More importantly, however, it was the hard graft of their front line at the top end of the field that forced their Bath into gifting them the two key opportunities.
And their ruthlessness in front of goal when presented with these chances meant that Rovers left Bath with a result deserving of first class honours.
TEAM BATH: Chitty, Lock, Alonso, M Canham (Smith, 75 mins), Warren, El-Abd, Townley (Ake, 68 mins), Dillon, Williams (McCootle, 58 mins), S Canham, Thomson. Unused: Green, Meredith.
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