After their win last Sasturday against Sporting 87 FC, Rover's returned to Gainsborough Playing Fields to face Black Boy FC in League 2 action.
Rovers were forced to make 5 changes to the squad from last week, with Rob Green, Gary Radford, Jamie Davis, Lee Glacken and Manu Falcao all missing. Ross Booty, Jamie Maxwell, Alistair Clark, Jamie Feltner and Ian Murfitt all came into the starting line up, as Rovers prepared themselves for a tricky fixture against a Boy side who always give a good account of themsleves.
With a gale blowing across the Gainsborough pitch, Rovers began the match very brightly and within the first 10 minutes had created a couple of good openings which they were unfortunately unable to take.
Rovers continued to dominate the early exhanges and to create good chances for themselves but when it really mattered they were either wasteful in front of goal or thwarted by Boy keeper James Driver, who was in fine form, making several good saves, to keep the scores level.
The home side did manage to create a couple of good chances in the 1st half when the Rovers midfield and defense were caught napping but like their visitors they were guilty of being wasteful in front of goal when it mattered.
The Blues continued to press forward as the 1st half came to an end and continued to create some good chances that were again either well saved or flashed narrowly wide and were really unlucky not to take a goal lead into the break when, right on the stroke of half time, the Blues struck the post twice in the same move with the goal gaping.
During the break, manager Paul Winstone, tried to raise the heads of his players who were left a little flat after seeing so many chances go begging in the 1st period. He sent them out for the re-start telling them to be patient and to be a little more composed in front of goal when their chance came but also to be on their gaurd as the home side would now have the strong wind at their backs and were bound to pose more of a threat to Rovers in the 2nd half.....and so it proved.
Within minutes of the re-start the home side got their noses in front. As the Boy came forward, Rovers had the chance to clear their lines but as the ball was smashed forward by the Rover's defense, it cannoned off one of the home side's midfielders, to then loop high over Wayne Pottle, to leave him stranded in the visitors goal and enabled one of the Boy's attackers to race into the area to tap the ball home.
This setback seemed to knock Rover's confidence and the game then entered a 10 minute period of very scrappy football. Winstone then decided to mix things up a little and moved Tim Hodge out of the back 4 and into midfield, a decision which swung the game back into Rover's favour.
Minutes after making the switch, Hodge was put clear, after a great passing move, and the Rover's utility man showed the composure that Winstone had asked for at half time, to round Driver in the Boy goal and slot the ball home for the equaliser.
The goal instantly got the visitors tails up, as they then went in search of a potential winner.
The second half was a far more even affair though as the Boy posed a constant threat to the Blues, as both sides showed the potential and committment to nab a winner.
That winner came, 10 minutes from time when, after a good period of pressure, Micky Cross swung over a deep cross from out wide into a crowded penalty area, after the Boy defense were unable to clear the ball properly from a Rover's corner. The deep cross beat everyone, including Driver in the home goal, to nestle into the corner of the net. The goal continues Micky's amazing run of goalscoring form, seeing him now extend his record to 12 consecutive games in which he has found the net.
Rover's were put under real pressure in the last 10 minutes, as the Boy went looking to level the match late on. The Blues were however able to cope with all that the home side threw at them and were in fact unlucky not to have made the game safe as they created a couple of good openings on the break, as they soaked up the pressure.
Winstone was delighted with the win, especially the committment and belief shown by the Blues after going a goal down to tricky opponents and again underlined the fact that these were the types of game that Rovers would have failed to win last season.
With the chasing pack all in cup action, the win sees Rovers extend their lead at the top of League 2 to 6 points, although their main rivals do have a couple of games in hand on the Blues.
Attention now turns to next week's top of the table clash when Rovers face 2nd place, Tollgate Inn FC, at the Heath, again in League 2 action.
