Unlucky number 13 for nine-man Town

They were undone in the first half when they trailed 3-0 and had emergency striker Mark Hughes sent off, and another goal after the break and the dismissal of Paul Taplin added up to a miserable day for the visitors.
They had started promisingly when Tom Etheridge rattled the bar from a free kick after only two minutes, but it started to go went as Rovers struck twice in a three minute spell, James Billing notching their first and then setting up Ban Lacey for a second.
Hughes was sent off for leading with an elbow in a challenge, and Josh Jeffries added to Thatcham’s woe when he headed a third goal, 10 minutes before the interval.
Taplin’s second half argument led to him being shown a red card and the nine men held on grimly until Marcus Mapstone completed the scoring in the closing stages.