The league leaders ended Rovers’ fine Priaulx League form on Saturday afternoon in their first league game since mid-December.
The Port Soif outfit’s first Priaulx loss since October saw them drop to fourth in the table – level on points with third-placed Sylvans, who battered Rangers 11-1 at the KGV on Saturday afternoon.
It ended up being a deserved win for North after a frustrating first half that saw them create plenty of chances but fail to create anything that really troubled Rovers goalkeeper Adam Bullock too much – and it was very much the same story at the other end of the pitch for North goalkeeper Seb Jennings too, albeit with fewer chances.
North set the tone with an early chance in the first five minutes as Liam Mahon rattled the crossbar with an effort from the left corner of the area.
In the 14th minute Owen Wallbridge worked his way down the right and squared to Keene Domaille but was intercepted well by Rovers’ Scott Howitt.
Some good defending from Rovers stopped North again in the 20th minute after gifting them an opportunity to get ahead from a free-kick in a dangerous position. Mahon played a low ball to Domaille who was surrounded and stopped from getting the shot away.
North had another excellent chance in the 22nd minute, this time through Ben Wilson, whose shot from the right across Bullock went just wide.
Wallbridge had a go from the edge of the area in the 35th minute but was off target, before Mahon’s free-kick found Domaille, who could only head wide.
By this point anyone would have expected North to draw first blood as Rovers had not really had any real chances, but in the 38th minute Martin Savident broke away and from 30 yards out played a ball over the top towards the six-yard box, where tall striker Luke Ogier was waiting to head the ball home. Jennings got his right hand to the effort but could not keep it out.
Stung into action, North responded immediately and found the equaliser before the interval. Dave Rihoy worked his way down the right and struck a shot across Bullock which bounced in off the far post.
It was much of the same in the second half with North having majority of the chances, but Rovers had a good chance early in the half as Ogier forced Jennings into a good save.
In the 58th minute Domaille’s effort from outside the area swept over the crossbar, before another shot struck the woodwork.
Finally on the hour mark Domaille put North ahead with a long-range effort which completely evaded Bullock.
About five minutes the North striker worked his way around his man, found some space and produced a great finish into the bottom corner to make it 3-1.
In the 70th minute Wallbridge forced Bullock into a good save, but within a couple of minutes Keanu Marsh had popped up from the back to notch a fourth goal and seal the points.
