ROVERS secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Yeovil Town at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday, but dropped points at Stevenage midweek.

We knew that the visit of the Glovers was a must-win fixture if we were to have any hope of moving back into the automatic promotion places and the tension among a 10,000-plus crowd was palpable.

The nerves seemed to have affected the players from the start, as passes were misplaced and we lacked any fluent style of play.

The visitors looked dangerous and were playing their part in an evenly-matched contest.

There were sighs of relief around the ground as Gaffney broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute with a well taken header.

We went into the break with the advantage but knew we were in for another tough half if we were to hold onto the points.

That certainly proved to be the case as our form never improved and the Glovers’ midfield had more of a stranglehold on the game than ours.

It was no great surprise when they equalised in the 73rd minute as Lita was given too much space on the right and produced a cool finish.

The players’ spirit and determination were tested and not for the first time this season, they showed they were up for the challenge.

They did not take the setback lying down and quickly piled on the pressure.

We got our reward just a few minutes later thanks to the prolific Taylor, who was in the right place at the right time to poke home his 27th of the season and give the Gas a vital victory.

The win lifted Rovers back into the automatic promotion places ahead of the trip to Stevenage on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately that encounter did not prove quite so successful, finishing 0-0, as despite creating a number of chances, we could not find the elusive goal and dropped to fifth as Plymouth and Accrington took full advantage.

Rovers now head into another crucial fixture at home to Exeter on Saturday, knowing that three points are essential to maintain hopes of a top three finish.