The relentless fixture list continued with a visit to Eastleigh, a side that held ambitions of a second straight promotion thanks to their strong financial backing. Everything went against us early on as they went in front and Steve Mildenhall was sent off, but a truly sensational equaliser from Ollie Clarke levelled matters on the stroke of half-time and we were able to hold on stubbornly in the second period for a creditable point. The draw at home to Dover Athletic in the game that followed was met with considerably more frustration, as the plucky visitors from Kent grabbed a last-gasp point that their endeavour arguably deserved, with Tom Murphy taking advantage of a goalmouth scramble to shot into an empty net to cancel out a first half goal from Adam Cunnington. Three days later and Rovers produced a similarly unconvincing home showing, as only a Matt Taylor penalty saw us past very limited opposition in the shape of Dartford. It was a mark of our failure to win games by a wider margin, and that was exploited by Aldershot Town, who came back to draw level at 2-2 after another Taylor penalty and a deflected effort from Andy Monkhouse turned the game on its head. The up-and-down nature of Rovers’ form continued a week later as Forest Green became the first side to win away to Rovers in the Conference; a goal from Danny Coles against his old club coming as a reward for their dominant first half performance. There was a slight improvement from Rovers in the last half hour despite the controversial sending off of Daniel Leadbitter, but we could not salvage a point. Ellis Harrison managed a first career hat-trick as Dorchester Town were seen off 7-1 in the club’s first ever FA Cup qualifier in the opening game of a sequence of away fixtures. For the second time it only needed an Ollie Clarke goal to get the better of AFC Telford in a game which saw Andy Monkhouse dismissed, and he was absent for the FA Cup first round defeat at Tranmere Rovers, for whom a Max Power penalty secured victory in an occasionally bad-tempered affair. Young winger Lyle Dalla Verde made his debut as a substitute for the frustrating goalless draw at an Alfreton Town side that had the division’s leakiest defence, and the Fulham starlet featured from the beginning at home to Kidderminster Harriers on November 15, providing a constant threat throughout as well the cross which led to Matt Taylor’s equaliser. Nathan Blissett had put Kidderminster ahead, and just days later he would become a Rovers player to make up for the abrupt departure of Jamie White, partnering Taylor in attack as they both scored away to Chester FC to give us a seemingly commanding two-goal lead. But we threw it away to inexplicably draw 2-2. The gap to leaders Barnet now stood at a daunting 11 points ahead of their visit to the Mem in midweek, while the race for a top five place was hugely competitive. The Bees were on the back-foot right from the start as Taylor netted an early opener with a composed finish from Andy Monkhouse’s fine through ball. A long range free-kick produced the equaliser against the run of play, but the dramatic winner came deep in stoppage time when recent signing Angelo Balanta’s header just about went over the line for a win to reignite our promotion charge. It was followed up by another home success against 10-man Welling United, where Alex Wall (remember him?) played just the first half in what proved to be a short-lived spell at the club. Bizarrely, the way the fixture list was drawn up meant that the return fixture was played just a week later, and this time we could not break through as the game ended 0-0, something that was becoming all-too familiar as Conference defences were able to keep our often impotent attack at arm’s length. In between the two matches against Welling was another scoreless stalemate, but a much more creditable one as Mark McChrystal had to play over the half the match at Wrexham as an emergency goalkeeper after Steve Mildenhall was forced off injury with Will Puddy not named among the substitutes. That was a fine and valiant effort, but those words would not suitably describe the club’s first FA Trophy outing, as Bath City came to the Mem and deservedly came away with a 2-0 victory. It was a diabolical day at the office for Rovers, who had another new face in their side in on-loan goalkeeper Fabian Speiss, brought in to replace Mildenhall, and one of the routes to a Wembley appearance had been distinguished in meek fashion. There were mixed feelings on exiting the competition as it allowed us to concentrate on the league, but the manner of it brought about a degree of shame among some fans. After the Barnet victory had failed to provide us with the momentum we badly needed, it was essential that the festive period began well, but it was never going to be straightforward against Gateshead on a freezing night in front of the BT Sport cameras. Victory looked a million miles away in a hugely one-sided first half that saw the North Easterners take a fully deserved lead and play us off the park with some fine passing football, but that all changed after the break. Then it was Gateshead who were under the cosh and Rovers emerged with renewed energy and vigour, almost as if a switch had been flicked. A superb low strike from Ollie Clarke drew us level, but against the run of play our constant nemesis Alex Rodman silenced the stadium by putting the Heed back in front on the counter-attack. But Rovers fought back admirably, with Lee Mansell netting with a terrific free-kick and Stuart Sinclair showing great determination and balance to put us sensationally 3-2 in front. Rovers held on for a memorable victory, which ensured things were really beginning to get interesting at the top of the Conference. It was a result that showed that we were now ready to take the fight to Barnet and turn our attentions to catching them to the Conference title, although Grimsby Town and Macclesfield Town both had similar ambitions. It certainly showed in the days immediately after Christmas, as an excellent display at Torquay United on Boxing Day was rewarded with a massive three points. Matt Taylor’s partnership with Nathan Blissett in attack was continuing to grow more effective, and the former Forest Green man netted along with Neal Trotman, who was always a reliable performer in a side with the best defensive record in the division. The visit of Macclesfield two days later was billed as a huge encounter in the promotion race, but only one side looked capable of mounting a serious promotion challenge as Rovers bossed it from the outset to register their most convincing win yet in the Conference and also a long-awaited first ever home league victory over the Silkmen. A man-of-the match performance from Andy Monkhouse began with him heading the opener from a Jake Gosling corner, before he set up Blissett for the second. Taylor grabbed the third as Rovers maintained their total superiority, with Ellis Harrison converting a late penalty to round things off. There were signs of a hangover on New Year’s Day as Torquay looked to avenge their defeat in the reverse fixture. The Gulls were ahead for a lengthy period through Duane Ofori-Acheampong and fought hard to hold on to that narrow advantage, only for Rovers to be rescued by a highly debatable penalty given for a minor offense on Harrison and dispatched by Taylor to take our unbeaten run to 12 games. And that was extended even further with success at Nuneaton Town on January 4, with Lee Mansell and Blissett scoring the goals to reduce Barnet’s lead to just six points. Now we looked to have a realistic chance. They were dropping points and perhaps feeling the pressure... To be continued...
It's strange how the stats don't seem to reflect the goals v Dorchester. Did Harrison score 17, or was it actually 20 for the season?
