Kimpton Rovers once again went toe to toe with top end Division Two opposition and turned in one of, if not their best performance of the season, belied unfortunately by the somewhat convincing scoreline.

With the Dons having netted eight goals twice already this season the visitors knew they had to be at the very top of their game and the early exchanges though played out in the Rovers half came to little other than a couple of attempts on goal thwarted by some solid defending. On the quarter hour mark however, the home side opened the scoring when a low cross from the right was turned in at the far post. The Dons doubled that lead with an absolute worldie of a strike from just outside the box that crashed in off the underside of the crossbar. Undaunted Rovers reset and forged an opening of their own twelve minutes from the break. Central defender Ryan Gray showed superb composure threading a ball through the middle of the park that found Thomas Bundy on the left-hand side, his cross dropped perfectly for captain, Alex Jode who lashed the ball home from a couple of yards inside the box to reduce the deficit. Shortly before the break however the hosts restored their two-goal cushion with a mixture of pure skill and a bit of luck for 3-1.

From the restart Kimpton went on the attack and another top-quality cross found Jode who outjumped his marker who saw his header come back off the post instead of reducing the deficit once again. The second half like the first was played out mainly in the Rovers half but the defence once again put their bodies on the line making several last ditch and important blocks. Unfortunately all that hard work was eventually undone when a free-kick on the right, five yards outside the box was struck over the wall and past the diving keeper. Still not prepared to give up the cause, Rovers forged several forays forward but couldn’t find that decisive shot at goal, twice the home side made decisive interventions thwarting Kimpton’s attempts to claw back the game. As the clock ran down the Dons thought they had put the game to bed when a powerful header from a corner seemed goal bound only for the visiting keeper Russell Paine reacting smartly to tip the ball over. In the final few minutes, the home side created several more good goalscoring opportunities only to find the veteran keeper a match for their efforts, a feat made all the more satisfying for him as he returned between the sticks just a week after badly dislocating a finger.

So DNA progress to Round Two and the visitors now have just one remaining chance of cup success in the new year via the Division Three cup.

George John Cup - DNA Dons 4 - 1 Kimpton Rovers

HSFL Division 3 - Kimpton Rovers 4 - 2 All Saints United

HSFL Division 3 - Kimpton Rovers 2 - 3 Lea Sports PSG