COLLISION COURSE: Karl Lewis is called into action as striker Andy Brown gets the better of veteran Rovers player-coach John Snape. Lewis later limped off after a collison with Brown. Pictures by Mike Ford
IF last weekend's victory over Mangotsfield was a lesson in the art of clinical finishing, this time round it was the turn of the Rovers rearguard to come to the fore.
Marshalled by the talismanic John Snape, they were dogged and vigilant for three quarters of this match.
Those aren't words that would provide an accurate assessment of Bromsgrove Rovers' stoppers so far this season.
But this FA Cup second qualifying round clash saw Rod Brown's underdogs present a timely case for their defence - and were it not for one second half slip-up it would have been a near immaculate presentation.
Snape, donning the captain's armband in the absence of Carl Heeley, and partner Chris McHale were steadfast in dealing with early Nuneaton Borough threats, rallying to a series of early blocks.
Great responsibility also fell on the young shoulders of Marlon Walters, who watchfully guarded his defence, showing further signs of maturity in his new deeper defensive midfield role.
advertisement
He was alert and athletic when called upon to stem the flow of the visitors' periods of pressure.
And while previous crises of confidence among the green and white fort seemed to rub off on Rovers' attacking collective - most notably in the comprehensive defeats by Gloucester City and Hemel Hempstead - on Saturday they similarly set a high standard of determination and duty which their colleagues at the other end of the field duly targeted.
It was the persistence of in-form strike Jermaine Clarke in battling from the front that saw Rovers come closest to scoring in the first half.
The Greens broke from Karl Lewis' clearance and Clarke's desire saw him come out on top when challenging Borough skipper Tom Curtis to the second ball.
His left footed shot was parried clear by Darren Acton.
Clarke's effort, and a fierce shot across goal from Nuneaton's Gary Ricketts which was beaten away by Lewis were the only trying first half incidents for either goalkeeper.
Although the Rovers midfield looked most likely to come to prominence, those two chances from distance suggested the tie may only be turned on its head through error.
And it was Borough who were the first to be punished, making the fatal mistake of leaving Clarke free for a trademark header.
Paul Lloyd was free in the right hand corner and flicked the ball up the line to Alsop, who cut back from the by-line to cross for the unmarked Clarke who headed past Acton from 10 yards.
But while it put the Greens a step closer to pushing the Blue Square North side to the brink of cup embarrassment, tired legs and tired minds were setting in.
Andy Cowan was let loose at the back post to powerfully head a dubiously awarded free kick into Lewis' bottom right hand corner, to restore the visitors' credibility.
It was the first blemish on an accomplished defensive display, and Rovers were starting to look dead on their feet.
The lively Matt Birley was replaced by Chris Cotterill, thus removing a controlling limb from their attacking body, while Lewis' collision when rushing to meet Andy Brown meant he would play no further part.
And for the final 10 minutes Rovers were thankful for his replacement Chris Taylor.
He pulled his side through the agonising 80s' with two crucial saves as Borough began to sense a smash and grab.
Firstly he denied Ricketts who fired low from a tight angle after being slipped in by Brown, while he brilliantly tipped a Daryl Burgess header over the bar with five minutes left.
It became a case of holding on for dear life - a complete reversal to the opening 68 minutes in which Rovers seemed to have done enough to have booked a place in the third qualifying round at the first attempt.
But Nuneaton's higher level experience showed, and the Greens had to settle for what before kick off they would have deemed an excellent result.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
