ROVER AND OUT, WELTON SNEAK LATE WIN

Cole's winner was then followed by a last minute penalty for Hengrove that saw visiting keeper Alfie Kelsey save Giorgio Mancini's spot kick to deny Jamie Hillman's side a point. The result was harsh on a young Hengrove side that deserved to take something from a battling performance against one of the division's top sides, Welton maintaining their hot pursuit of leaders Sherborne Town in the process.

After last week's defeat at Wincanton Town, Hengrove made five changes to the starting XI from Moor Lane. Ben Britton came in for Carl Bush between the sticks whle outfield, there were recalls for Gary Shorney, Harry Lucas, Danny Dodimead and Sam Jackson; they came in for JoJo Pickering, Jackson Brown, Brandon Feehely and Dylan Gould.

The first twenty minutes were quite frantic with neither keeper seriously tested but the game settled down into a battle of wills rather than a stylish encounter. Half time came and went with no score & after the break, Rovers stepped up the tempo and Britton saved well from sub Courtney Charles. The game drifted along with Welton changing to a 4-3-3 and throwing on sub Toby Cole too knowing that anything short of three points would not be good enough for their title challenge.

The deadlock was broken with five minutes to go when two of the three subs combined, Charles laying it off for Cole to shoot home past Britton for his 15th goal of the campaign. Amazingly after 85 minutes of little goalmouth action, there was to be an even later twist as the hosts were given a lifeline in the form of a penalty awarded for handball. Giorgio Mancini stepped up but saw his attempt saved by 16-year-old keeper Alfie Kelsey, turned around the post.

It was the last action of a game that Welton might well have slipped up by only taking a point but the race to catch runaway leaders Sherborne Town continues for at least another week. For the Grove, eleven teenagers in the 15 man squad once again shows the extent of the planning and promise of this young team offering real hope for the coming seasons.