Rovers hit five to knock out Stotfold

Boss Dan Kennoy used his squad wisely and rested six players that started Saturday’s 4-0 win against Royston Town.

In came Paul Andrews, Liam Beaumont, Ricky Case, Stevie Thomas, Keshi Anderson and Nyasha Sagwete, while U18 player Xavi Sweeney was added to the squad after impressing Kennoy in the FA Youth Cup.

Two minutes had not even passed when Rovers took the lead through Stevie Thomas.

Some great wing play from Keshi Anderson and Rhys Hoenes found Thomas in the box for him to nudge the ball home from close range.

It was soon 2-0 when Sagwete latched onto a delicate through ball and dispatched a crisp finish passed the Stotfold keeper to double Rovers lead.

The South Midlands Premier side adopted a back five to stop the scoreline becoming embarrassing but that was futile against a Rovers 11 that were hungry for more.

Barton’s third goal came from the rampaging Kyle Lincoln as the full back burst down the left and as Sagwete teed him up precisely, he hammerd into the roof of the net.

A fourth arrived on the stroke of half time, as Anderson caused havoc, seeing his shot saved, only for Case to make no mistake from the rebound.

Rovers dropped the tempo massively in the second half which was expected with the game won and numerous players getting their first minutes in several weeks.

Rhys Hoenes and Luke Knight made way for Ryan Smales and James Edgerley, while Anderson came close to adding his name to the scoresheet but was denied on numerous occasions.

Thomas who was threat aerially all night also had several chances but couldn’t quite meet the few decent crosses cleanly enough.

Lincoln contributed with an assist late on as his driven ball across the face of the Stotfold penalty area allowed Sagwete to grab his second of the night and complete the rout.

Kennoy said: “We’re through to the next round, we’ve scored goals and we’ve kept a clean sheet.

“We’ve given players a rest, we’ve given other players some minutes and more importantly with have came through the game with no injury concerns.

“So all in all it was a perfect night for us.”