Heather St Johns 1, Bromsgrove Sporting 2

A FIGHTING display from Bromsgrove Sporting saw them come away from Heather with all three points on a damp, miserable Saturday afternoon.

Despite not being at their best for almost the entire game, it was a deserved win, one which keeps them in touch with the Midlands Football League Division One's top teams.

Sporting's bad habit of lax defending at either end of matches continued with Heather taking the lead after two minutes, when Jamie Towers fired home a rebound after Jake Bedford had denied Troy Wallen.

Sporting began to settle and Gary Hay showed good determination to power past the challenges of two Heather defenders before confidently slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

Reece Hewitt then blazed a shot just over the crossbar after a wonderful cross-field ball from Simon Fitter, while Hay fired wide at the far post.

Hewitt fired Sporting ahead in the 25th minute.

In the second half, Heather were probably the better side but Sporting's defence looked fairly secure and Bedford wasn't really troubled throughout.

Mitch Woodbine hit a fierce shot over the bar before Wallen and Towers combined yet again down the left, with the former poking the ball just past the post.

As the second half progressed the game became stretched and some reckless challenges began to fly in and Fitter picked up a needless yellow card, after he offered the referee's assistant some choice words.

New signing and Rovers old-boy Danny Lennon, who when clear through on goal pulled up and looked in some pain as he was substituted.

Heather pushed forward but still failed to create any clear-cut chances. It was in fact Sporting who had the best chance of the last few minutes with a Danny Ludlow free-kick just passing over the bar.

As the final whistle sounded Sporting supporters breathed a sigh of relief. A game they should have won more comfortably almost slipped from their grasp.

Sporting: Bedford, Duggan, Sockett, Fitter, Jones, Mahon, Tibbetts, Hewitt, Hay (Jakab),Wills, Lennon, (Smith), Ludlow. Subs not used: Almond, Christmas

Scorers: Gary Hay (10 mins), Reece Hewitt (25 mins)

Yellow: Simon Fitter

Heather: Chatfield, Hicks, McPherson, Phillips, Salumu, Slack, Towers (Healey), Wallen (Wheildon), Wilson, Woodbine, Howard.

Subs unused: Burrows, Nolan, Ryder.

Referee: D Barrett.

Crowd: 70