Vale Rec beat the leaders to do North a favour
ROVERS blew the three-point advantage that North had offered them at the top of the FNB Priaulx League within 24 hours of receiving it.
The blue-and-whites had the chance to go eight points clear of second-placed North after the Friday night fixture across the road from the Corbet Field, but in a dour game of pitifully few efforts on goal, they looked nervous from the off and were sloppy and largely clueless about making chances, let alone taking them.
Vale Rec, as is becoming their wont, were organised and disciplined, and although they too were toothless up top, having grabbed the lead in the opening seconds of the second half, they comfortably held on for a 1-0 win.
The goal came after young Rovers centre-back Saul Falla was penalised for pushing over Glenn Le Tissier on the edge of the penalty area on the left of the box for Rec. Rovers put all their big men in the wall but Tiago Rodrigues expertly picked out the top far corner of Adam Bullock’s goal with his strike.
Rovers had already spent 45 minutes huffing and puffing without getting anywhere. In their first outing without Fin Whitmore, the visitors struggled to make connections up top but they would have also certainly not wanted to have also been without Aidan McKay, who was away, and Sammy Hall, absent ill.
Whitmore’s replacement, veteran Dale Webb, almost picked up a goal out of nowhere when he closed down Christian Povall in the Rec goal and forced the keeper, rather erratic with his distribution on the day, into a mistake. The ball broke free for Webb but he could not get it under control and the chance slipped by.
Blair Howitt robbed Damien Larkin and shot from distance, but Povall did just enough to push the ball away for a corner.
Rec took more than half an hour to craft anything like a chance, Matt Ozanne lobbing over the bar after a free-kick broke to the defender, before Rec created a nice move in the dying moments of the first half, keeping possession down the right and then crossing but Seb Skillen, arriving at the far post, sliced wide.
Rovers’ best chance of the second half came almost immediately after the concession, Webb feeding Martin Savident coming off the right wing, but his shot was weak and straight at Povall.
Rovers had all the possession and territory but, although they ended up with Tobi Oluborode playing up front and Bullock effectively as sweeper, they could not force even the semblance of a chance, with Sam Le Huray and Sammy Goddard particularly strong and effective for the home side.
Rec also stuck a foot in when they had to, picking up four yellows as the game got increasingly tetchy.
The two sides meet again next week in the Stranger Cup final, where any neutrals attending will be hoping for better fare than this.
