Saturday 29 October 2011

Rovers End Saturday Curse

Bristol Rovers won a Saturday home game for the first time in eight months, beating Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 at the Memorial Stadium.

The visitors survived a goal mouth scramble in the opening period but could not hold out in the second, Joe Anyinsah mopping up from close range on 50 minutes before Matt Harrold scored a penalty in stoppage time.

Rovers third game in eight days saw manager Paul Buckle under pressure to set straight a run of four defeats from the last five, a segment of the fanbase already calling for his head after Tuesday's 3-0 home defeat to Port Vale.

In light of the previous two defeats Buckle reverted to a 4-4-2 formation, giving Mustapha Carayol his first start since October 1st, playing on the left wing, with Anyinsah stationed on the opposite flank.

From the off it was the home side who had their foot on the gas, Harrold heading a Matt Gill corner wide before Scott McGleish suffered the same fate from a Craig Stanley cross.

Rovers captain Gill then found himself with a yard of space in the penalty area, defying the tight angle and forcing Dagenham goalkeeper Chris Lewington into a sharp save.

The away side, managed by former Rovers assistant John Still, were hanging on by a thread, Scott McGleish's centre finding Anyinsah, whose shot was kept out, the rebound falling kindly for Gill. After the captain's effort was blocked by the desperate Dagenham bodies Carayol had one final chance to turn the ball in, but there was a visiting body in the way once more.

Though Rovers had the better of the first half exchanges there were few moments of quality, Dagenham's line-up looking bereft of any confidence, though that was not to be unexpected, the Essex club having lost their last four League 2 games.

What ever words of wisdom cane from Still had little effect on his squad as Rovers came out and scored within five minutes of the restart. Stanley was allowed space to run down the right hand side and found McGleish with a cross, Lewington keeping out the veteran forwards header, parrying straight into the path of Anyinsah who blasted his volley into the goal.

Seven minutes later the lead could have been doubled, Stanley again the man to break from midfield and whip the ball in, though Harrold's header ricocheted off the inside of the post to allow the Daggers to clear.

A Cian Bolger slip allowed substitute Brian Woodall to run in behind the Rovers defence, though his burst was ended prematurely by an emphatic sliding challenge from Danny Woodards, hurtling back to prevent the forward from getting a clear shot on goal.

Damien McCrory had to be on hand to clear a Carayol strike off the line, though the home crowd weren't to be denied a second goal for long. Abu Ogogo hauled down Harrold shirt first in the penalty area and referee Mark Heywood pointed straight to the spot. The former Shrewsbury man picked himself up to convert, push Rovers up to 15th in the table and lift the mood on the unnervingly tense terraces.

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