Iffy Onuora's first game in charge saw Town lose 1-0 in a match which also saw
The new look Town line-up made a confident start against
However the home team were also looking lively after some good recent results and Jerel Ifil was cautioned early in the half for a foul on the pacey Jonathan Forte although the resulting shot by Michael McIndoe flew wide.
There was a flurry of free-kicks for Rovers as they continued to pressurise Town but the Robins defence stood firm and Onuora's men managed to mount some counterattacks at the other end.
Town also faced a series of corners after 10 minutes or so of the first half but again they did well to protect their goal under intense pressure with keeper Tom Heaton marshalling his defence well.
As the half wore on Jack Smith and Michael Pook tried their luck with shots from distance without seriously troubling Jan Budtz in the home team's goal but Town were more than matching their opponents.
However the deadlock was broken in the 36th minute when Jonathan Forte outpaced Jerel Ifil to latch onto a through ball and fire home from twelve yards to put the home side in front.
Town responded with some determined attacking with Ricky Shakes prominent and he was fouled shortly before halftime and up stepped Neale McDermott to fire in a free-kick which was cleared not long before the halftime whistle was blown.
Half Time:
The early part of the second half saw Town desperately trying to get back in the match with some good attacking play and Rovers player Ricky Ravenhill was cautioned in the 51st minute for a foul on Colin Heath a minute or so after he had also fouled Michael Pook.
Colin Heath was continuing to feature heavily in Town's play and he went close ten minutes into the half when he sent a powerful shot goalbound to test the reflexes of Budtz but the keeper was equal to the task and he caught the ball.
Five minutes later Tom Heaton did well to catch a powerful header from Leo Fortune-West who latched onto a good cross and sent the ball goalbound from twelve yards. Shortly afterwards goalscorer Forte tried his luck again with a shot from twelve yards but luckily for Town the ball flew wide.
Heath featured again in Town's attacking play as they were awarded a couple of corners without being able to get a serious shot on goal. However Heath was substituted in the 67th minute by Christian Roberts as Onuora elected to go for all out attack to try and get something from the match. The attacking policy nearly paid off as Rory Fallon went close with a header from twelve yards from a cross by McDermott but Leo Fortune-West used his height to deflect the ball away to safety.
The home team replaced Uros Predic with former
Rory Fallon had the coaching staff leaping up from the bench as they thought he'd scored but the ball was parried by keeper Budtz late in the half.
There was further drama with three minutes remaining when the goalscoring hero Forte was cautioned for timewasting when he delayed taking a throw-in and then the same player reacted too angrily for the referee Mr Miller and he flashed a red card at Forte.
The fourth official indicated that four minutes of added time would be played and Town frantically attacked but their momentum was checked when Jerel Ifil was shown a second yellow card for a marginal foul on Sean McDaid.
Jamie Cureton could have snatched a point for Town deep in added time but keeper Budtz made a good save to parry the ball out for a throw-in and at the other end Tom Heaton did well to tip a goalbound shot over for a corner seconds before the final whistle.
The Town supporters responded with a standing ovation despite this latest setback and manager Iffy Onoura and his players went over and acknowledged the applause.
Town's sixth defeat on the trot sees the team go bottom of the table following tonight's results in League One but Iffy Onuora's team have the perfect chance to move off the bottom on Saturday when they play at MK Dons who are just one place above Town.
Full Time:
Jan Budtz, Philip McGuire, Stephen Roberts, Mark Albrighton, Sean McDaid, James Coppinger (20 D Mulligan) , Uros Predic(Paul Heffernan 79), Richard Ravenhill, Mark McIndoe, Leo Fortune-West, Jonathan Forte
Subs: Barry Richardson, Neil Roberts, Nick Fenton
Tom Heaton, Patrick Collins(Jamie Cureton 83), Sean O'Hanlon, Jerel Ifil, Jack Smith, Ricky Shakes, Michael Pook, Neale McDermott, Colin Heath(Christian Roberts 67), Tony Thorpe, Rory Fallon,
Substitutes:
Ben Wells, Matthew Bulman, Andy Nicholas
Referee: Mr N Miller
Attendance: 5282
