THE stunned silence on both sides of the pitchside hoardings at the final whistle said it all.
Seven minutes after Cheshunt skipper David Hicks delivered another hammer blow to Rovers' floundering season, the Greens players passed their supporters on the way back to the dressing room with their heads slumped firmly to their chests.
The only aura left around Theobalds Lane was one of sheer deflation.
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These scenes summed up Rovers' plight, which continues to make grim reading.
Everyone from the management, to the boardroom, to players and supporters are at a loss to explain a season that is unravelling before their eyes.
This game had presented Rovers with a clean sheet of paper.
The first in what is in essence a mini-campaign of its own in the race for survival, gave them an opportunity to keep their fate in their own hands.
Duane Darby was certainly in the mood for fresh starts, with five of his transfer deadline captures taking their place in the starting line-up, while the sixth, Courtney Shaw, made a late cameo.
Before a ball was even kicked the debate had begun as to whether so many new faces could be moulded together so quickly for such an important game.
In fairness to Darby, he faced a damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation.
Having seen so many of his regulars squander the chance of redemption in the Bank Holiday Monday defeat to Yate, how many more second chances could he afford to hand out?
But despite the array of fresh ingredients being thrown into the mix, it was a case of same old Rovers.
Patrick Peters, who formed a brand new strike partnership alongside Dean Curtis, was as much of a wild card as he was a livewire, squandering several chances.
After just four minutes he unleashed a stinging volley from wide of the penalty box when he had little support in the middle, but Cheshunt goalkeeper Bobby Smith scrambled across to make the save.
The home custodian made a more comfortable stop from the former Halesowen man moments later after David Hicks lost possession inside his own half.
Peters came agonisingly close after 26 minutes, beating the offisde trap to pounce on Chris Duggan's clearance, but his shot took a deflection and crept past the post.
With the game beginining to liven up before the break, Peters was denied again when one-on-one with Smith, after dancing his way past Glen Parry.
At the other end, Lorcan Fitzgerald failed to capitalise on a mistake from Andy Jones' miscued clearance. The winger raced clean through but Karl Lewis was out quickly to block the shot.
Rovers were let off the hook after the restart when Joshua Cooper was first to Dean Fenton's knockdown, but he thrashed a shot wide.
On 57 minutes, Fenton's close range effort evaded Lewis and trickled wide across goal.
Birley had Rovers' first shot of the second-half, cutting in from the left hand side before firing low at Smith.
Moments later, good link-up play between Curtis and Keenan Meakin-Richards set Peters through on goal yet again, but his shot was too heavy and sailed over.
Smith made a brilliant one-handed save from Fitzpatrick, who deftly back-headed Bridgwater's cross goalwards.
Just after the hour mark, Fenton escaped at the back post for Cheshunt but volleyed Parry's cross over.
The clock was ticking on Rovers, and it was no surprise that Darby thrust himself into the action with 17 minutes remaining.
But the Rovers boss, no doubt, will have been seething at the lack of service he received from his players.
While continuing to throw players forward, the team were quickly running out of ideas and imagination, and Cheshunt delivered a gushing wound with five minutes left.
As Cheshunt hit Rovers on the break, Hicks gathered possession outside the penalty area.
The otherwise solid defence dropped deep and the midfielder was given time to cut back on to his left foot and shoot past Lewis.
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