Rovers ended a three game losing streak on Monday night when picking up a point in a 1-1 draw with league newcomers Rayners Lane.
Darren Salmon and Lee Flavin made one change from the side that had lost to South Park Reigate on the Saturday, with Evangelos Empochontsif coming in for Michael Samson who broke down in the warm up.
The game got off to a frenetic start and in the first minute a whipped in cross by Rayners Rio Connell was headed goalwards by Mike Hill and comfortably gathered by Prince Adegoke. Rovers responded positively and a deep cross by Daniel Pepple found Bayan Aman but he was unable to get a shot away. A minute later and a mix up in the heart of the visitors defence saw Scott Doe head beyond his own keeper but in a dash back to the line he beat Pepple to the ball and his clearing challenge prevented Rovers from opening the scoring.
Josh Green fired well wide of the Rovers left hand post as the exciting start to the contest continued, and a whipped in free kick by Hill was well saved by Adegoke away to his left. Hill was proving a constant threat and on ten minutes he skipped passed a couple of challenges only to be denied by an excellent block by Rovers skipper Bert Lloyd.
The residual effects of Storm Darragh were still being felt and for a period both sides struggled to get to grips with the swirling conditions. Rayners Lane were denied twice in quick succession by Adegoke, going someway to atoning for his error on Saturday. Firstly a deflected cross dropped to Hill and his point blank effort was turned onto the bar by the keeper. From the corner the ball dropped to Connell, just inside the box and his driven effort bought another stunning save out of the keeper away to his left.
Hill fired wide of the left hand post after 27 minutes, latching onto a loose ball after a long swirling free kick by Tariq Straker had only been half cleared. Rovers thought they had taken the lead on 37 minutes, Luke Ige’s thrown found Emmanuel Kwatchey and his low cross was powerfully headed home by Pepple but Rovers were to rue a raised assistants flag, as the ball had snuck out of play before the cross.
Charlie Stallard fizzed a low effort wide of the left hand post, and any touch would surely have given former Rovers keeper Endurance Johnson, in the Rayners goal, something to think about. Pepple then latched onto a ball by Bayan Aman and got beyond Myles Anderson only to see the big boot of Johnson’s left foot make the save and the sides went in scoreless at the break.
With the wind still whipping around the ground, it was a scrappy start to the second half with both sides struggling to gain the initiative. Shamal Edwards headed an early corner wide for Rayners Lane. Doe then did superbly to clear a low Gyamfi cross away from the advancing Pepple and from the loose ball Stallard missed his kick when poised to fire an effort goalwards, the ball through dropped to Pepple but his effort was just off target.
On the hour Edwards flicked the ball into the path of Frank Keita and he raced through one-on-one with Adegoke, but the Rovers keeper stood firm to make the save. The game looked to have swung in Rovers favour on 63 minutes. Hill and Darnell Bromfield had a coming together deep in Rovers territory with the end result a red card for the Rayners player.
However it was Rayners Lane who coped the better with the change in circumstances and in particular Connell was starting to prove a problem for Rovers and a mazy run saw him enter the Rovers area where he was well defended by Lloyd before he could get a shot away and with just under 15 minutes remaining, another great run by Connell saw him fouled just outside the area. The free kick by Marco Correia was only half cleared by Lloyd and poked forward to Anderson, he inexplicably missed his kick when faced with an open goal, but in trying to clear the loose ball Michael Sarpong ended up firing against Empochontsif and into the net for the lead.
It was almost 2-0 a minute later, a threaded through ball found Lane substitute Cyril Ocansey and his low drive cannoned against the Rovers right hand post.
Rovers were buoyed by the let off and started to throw people forward in an effort to get back into the game, and were rewarded with three minutes to go. A Crossfield ball by Stallard was picked up by substitute Francis Sey, who in turn found Ige, his attempted ball into the area was blocked, but from the loose ball Ige hammered a left footed drive beyond Johnson for the leveller.
Rovers almost snatched the lead in the dying moments, a hooked cross by Lloyd was headed goalwards by Gyamfi, bringing a superb save out of Johnson low to his right and the points were shared.