Piratic Rovers Steal Yeovil Win

The faces of the Bristol Rovers squad could easily be seen on Crimewatch next week after they criminally nicked all three points in a game that was dominated by Yeovil for large spells before making their getaway from south Somerset.

The home side missed at least four gilt-edged chances to take the lead during the first period and hit the bar at the start of the second, but it was Rovers who won their third consecutive away game thanks to former Yeovil favourite Gavin Williams, giving Rovers their first ever league double against their local rivals.

Both managers named unchanged starting line ups for this crucial west country derby.

The first chance of the afternoon fell to Yeovil and their on loan Norwich striker Oli Johnson. The youngster ran through on goal but Conrad Logan raced towards him to reduce the angle and was able to smother his final effort.

Andy Welsh was the next Glover to test Logan, hitting a stinging effort into the keepers palms following a well worked free kick before Paul Wotton's shot from the edge of the box fizzed wide of the upright.

Will Hoskins had Rovers first shot on goal, failing to get the required whip to bend the ball into the net but it was Yeovil who were soon back on the front foot, Johnson not getting the required connection on the ball from a low pass when anything more would have seen the ball rippling Logan's net.

There was to be more work for Conrad Logan as Dean Bowditch received a pass and looked to beat the Irish keeper but Logan was able to get behind the ball and keep the forwards shot out.

Harry Pell tried to force the issue, attempting to drive through the Yeovil backline only to be tackled on his way, the ball eventually running out for a goal kick.

Wotton was to hit the target with his second shot of the match but Logan once again denied the home side, getting down sharply to his left to stop the low effort, clutching onto the ball at the second attempt.

A Stuart Campbell corner was half cleared by Yeovil, looping towards Harry Pell who connected well with his forehead to send the ball goalwards but, alas, there was a green and white body on the post to hack the ball away.

Rovers fans went into the half time break fearing the worst, a goal for the Glovers looking inevitable if the pattern of play followed the same as the first, and shooting towards the travelling Gasheads in the second Yeovil really looked to rub their dominance in Gashead's faces.

After Will Hoskins blazed a shot high over the bar Yeovil earned a corner at the other end. Dean Bowditch turned the ball into the area and Craig Alcock jumped highest, thrusting his head through a ball that crashed back off the underside of the Rovers crossbar before being hoofed well clear of the penalty box.

Jonothan Obika, scorer of Yeovil's winner against Carlisle in midweek, tried to curl a ball inside Logan's right hand post but failed to get any bend on it whatsoever and Johnson tried another shot, failing to get any height on a chip which Logan gleefully caught.

Rovers finally tested Yeovil stopper Stephen Henderson through Chris Lines, the Rovers home grown midfielder driving a free kick from a speculative distance that had Henderson's hands ringing as he palmed it away.

Logan was forced into perhaps his best save of the game minutes later, tipping a close range Adam Virgo header around the post, but with just under a quarter of an hour to go Rovers attacked once again and it was then that the decisive moment of the game arrived.

James Tunnicliffe brought the ball out of defence and pinged a well weighted ball out to Hoskins who was loitering on the left wing. The Pirates top scorer moved first into the penalty area, turning his defender inside out before reaching the edge of the six yard box, knocking the ball across to substitute Gavin Williams who prodded it into the back of the net.

It was the midfielders first goal for Bristol Rovers and could be crucial to their season as the relegation battle wears on.

As the home side pushed forward for an equaliser Rovers twice found themselves in a three on one situation but with a chance to take their goal difference above it's current -30 they failed to beat Henderson on both occasions, Hughes forcing him into a save for the first before Williams looked to double his personal tally, hammering a shot over the bar and into the home fans in the Blackthorn Stand.

There was to be one more last gasp chance for Yeovil to take a point but former Bristol City man Alex Russell's free kick cleared the crossbar to great cheers from the Rovers fans behind the goal.

Five minutes of added time passed by and Rovers held firm to take all three points. After the final whistle the players celebrated in front of their fine, joyful support who stayed long after referee signalled the end to clap their heroes off.

Stuart Campbell, caretaker player-manager of the victorious Rovers, was philosophical about his sides fortune but praised their application throughout the second half, saying:

"You see the chances they missed and you start to believe it might be your day. I'm a big believer that, over the course of the season, things even themselves out and I think that was the case today.

"I think we got the ball down and passed on a number of occasions in the second half and there was some really good quality from Will in the build up to our goal.

"As I've said all along, we are going to try to go out and win every game we play and we'll be doing that again on Tuesday when we face Bournemouth.

"We won't get carried away and start looking at other results because we know we have to win as many games as possible between now and the end of the season."

Yeovil manager Terry Skiverton wasn't quite so steady in his post-match interview, clearly unhappy with the final result, ranting:

"We've been on a fantastic run but I am sick to the stomach to lose this one as it was a local derby.

"When I walked off one supporter said 'disgusting', and he was right. That supporter was 100% right. I can't lie. I am sick.

"We're still playing well and in the first half we should have scored several goals. The second half was disappointing, we just couldn't break them down.

"We have to lick our wounds, get ready to go to Hartlepool next weekend and hope to set off on another winning run. We are well above the relegation zone but I want to win three or four more games."

It was by no means a classic performance from the Gas who will need to up their game when promotion chasing AFC Bournemouth come knocking on Tuesday night. The confidence gained from the win, however, will go some way to boosting their chances of getting another win in front of a partisan atmosphere at the Memorial Stadium.

Yeovil face a long trip to Hartlepool in a weeks time looking for the three points that would take them to the fifty point mark, all but signalling survival, but with three home games in a row afterwards they really should be safe, all bar the shouting of course.