After a 2 week break, Rovers returned to League 2 action, when they travelled to Tostock to meet new boys, Hopton FC.
Rovers were looking to keep their recent run of great form going, whilst their hosts were looking for their first points of the season and the chance to move off the foot of the table.
The Blues made 3 changes from the side that beat Tollgate 2 weeks previously, as Rob Green, Gary Radford and Ian Murfit were all drafted into the starting line up, replacing the injured Ange Clarke and the missing Tiernan Boland and Angelo Goduti.
Rovers were very mindfull not to take their host's league position as a sign of weakness and took to the field knowing that they would have to work just as hard for a victory here as they would anywhere. They did however start the game very brightly and right from the off seemed to be very much in control of preceedings. Indeed there was only 5 minutes on the clock when Rover's front man, Micky Cross, netted for the 4th game in a row, to put the Blues ahead.
The early setback did the home side no favours as Rovers continued to dominate and create chance after chance. They converted one of these chances on the quarter hour, when Lee Glacken doubled their lead, to notch up his first goal in a Rovers shirt.
10 minutes later Rovers eased their way further ahead, when striker Ian Murfit headed home from close range, after yet another perfect ball in to the area from Micky Cross, to give the visitors a comfortable cushion in the match.
Despite continuing to dominate, the Blues were disappointingly unable to extend their lead any further in the first period, although they were very pleased to reach the break with another clean sheet under their belt, extending the time since they last conceeded a goal to a very impressive 360 minutes of play.
Manager Paul Winstone was forced to make one change at the break, as Alistair Clark replace Jamie Feltner in the middle of the park after Feltner had picked up a slight nock first half. Winstone sent out his side for the second period, warning them of a possible backlash from the home side and reminding them that the game was far from over.
That backlash looked a distinct possability, as minutes after the restart, a clumsy challange in the Rover's area, resulted in Hopton pulling a goal back from the penalty spot.
The Blues fears were eased a few minutes later however, when Ian Murfit scored his second of the match to restore the visitor's 3 goal advantage.
This advantage was again pulled back to just 2 goals, when a Hopton attack down the right, resulted in a lucky deep cross to the far post, beating everyone, including Dave Clarke in the Rover's goal and creeping just inside the far post.
In a see-saw 20 minutes, the Blues again went 3 ahead when Geoff Green came up from the back to convert an Alistair Clark free kick for his first goal of the season and Rover's fifth of the afternoon.
Ian Murfit then completed a fine hat-trick and scored Rover's sixth goal of the game, after fine work from Lee Glacken, who put the chance on a plate for the clinical Murfit to make the points safe for the visitors.
The home side were given a glimpse of hope a few minutes later however, when a hopeful ball pumped forward into the Rover's box from a free kick was uncharacteristically missed by Clarke in the the Blues goal, as he came out to punch the ball clear and once again the home side's deficit was reduced to 3.
That was the end of any notable action as the final 15 minutes went by without any further change to the score. Despite the win Rover's felt a little flat after the match as they know that this was, on the whole, a poor performance from them, especially second half, and they will certainly have to up their game in the coming weeks if they are going to continue their great start to the season.
The win see's Rovers go top on goal difference and they will look to cement their place at the top of the league when they travel to South Norfolk to face Garboldisham next Saturday.
