HUNGARIAN striker Jozsef Jakab delivered a 10th minute knock-out blow to floor high flying Halesowen Town in this festive Boxing Day derby encounter at the Victoria Ground.
Bromsgrove started well and Jakab fired across Yeltz goalkeeper Mark Osborn in the seventh minute but his effort rolled just wide of the upright.
Rovers took the lead three minutes later when Kevin Banner won the ball in midfield and quickly fed the ball to Sam Alsop down the left.
His first time cross was controlled by Jakab on the penalty spot and in one movement he planted the ball inside Osborn's left hand post .
Halesowen almost hit back straight away with Zema Abbey firing wide from just inside the 18 yard area and five minutes later Abbey headed over the crossbar from close range from a Darren Caskey centre.
Osborn then turned a close range effort from Jakab around the post in the 19th minute and from Banner's resulting corner Caskey headed off his own line .
Karl Lewis was quickly off his line to smother the ball at the feet of the dangerous Eldon Maquemba after his well timed run was found by Dean Brennan's through ball in the 31st minute.
A minute later Abbey tested Lewis's agility to get down low to save his curling effort towards the bottom right hand corner.
Banner had Osborn scrambling across goal to reach his effort but was relieved to see the effort go wide of the left hand post after 34 minutes.
The Yeltz had two penalty appeals turned down by Referee J. Adcock three minutes before half-time.
Former Yeltz defender Gary Knight blocked a Maquemba effort with his chest and David Bridgwater was well placed on the post to block Paul Devlin's rebound away with his chest.
Matt Birley broke away out of defence down the left, his cross was meant for Alsop but was deflected into Jakab's path but he miss-hit his effort straight at Osborn in the 56th minute.
Halesowen regained momentum, and Abbey put Paul Shane away down the right, who cut inside the area but failed to trouble Lewis with his weak effort two minutes later.
Abbey then sent Scott Lycett's cross wide of Lewis's upright on the hour mark.
Maquemba found space as he burst through the centre of the Greens' defence, and fired in a vicious shot that had Lewis beaten but saw his effort cannon back of the crossbar to safety in the 64th minute.
Halesowen kept up the pressure on an overworked Bromsgrove defence and in the 68th minute Devlin fired wide from an acute angle on the edge of the six-yard box after Lewis's poor punch under pressure fell at his feet.
Osborn got down well to his left hand post to hold a Bridgwater free-kick on 75 minutes and easily held a Birley drive from 25 yards five minutes later.
Yeltz substitute Rodney Hicks fired an effort from 30 yards over the bar in the 82nd minute.
Four minutes later Halesowen thought they had equalised Hick slammed the ball past Lewis from close range but joy turned to despair when he turned to see the referee pointing for a free-kick to Rovers for an earlier infringement in the build-up to the goal.
Lewis then produced a tremendous save plucking Fancino Francis's fierce effort out of the air from close range in the last minute, then deep into time added on Lewis got his finger-tips to a Francis cross to divert the ball behind the onrushing Abbey.
Rovers played out time to hold on for a deserved victory and three valuable points in their quest for safety.
ROVERS: Lewis, Duggan, Hines, Bridgwater, Knight, McHale, Hollis, (Downing, 69 mins), Alsop (Benbow, 90 mins), Jakab (Albutt, 76 mins), Banner, Birley. Unused subs: Jones, Mole.
HALESOWEN: Osborn, Lycett (Hamilton, 83 mins), Perpetuini, Pearce, Peirpoint, Brennan (Hicks, 73 mins), Paul, Caskey, Abbey, Maquemba, Devlin (Francis, 73 mins). Unused subs: Amos, Hill.
Referee: Mr J.D Adcock (Long Eaton). Attendance: 615. |