ROBBIE BUNN bagged a brace as Bromsgrove Sporting got their Midland League Premier Division campaign back on track with a convincing 4-0 victory over Rugby Town.
Sporting’s top scorer opened the scoring in the 25th minute before he bagged his tenth goal of the season on the stroke of half-time.
Sean Brain continued his recent scoring run to make it 3-0 after 50 minutes before Connor Deards completed the scoring in the second minute of stoppage time.
Paul Smith made three changes to the team which beat Romulus 3-2 in the Birmingham FA Senior Cup with Josh Quaynor, Liam Spink and Bunn coming in for John Pykett, Reece Hewitt and Deards.
Although the Valley started with a flurry of early corners, Sporting were the first to get a shot on goal as Joe Ward’s effort from inside the area was well blocked by Niall Cooper.
Cooper then had to be at full stretch to deny Sam Wills’ long-range effort as the hosts turned up the pressure in front of an incredible 919-strong crowd.
A fine save from Reece Francis then denied Tevin Shakespeare from finding the net at the near post midway through the half.
And that missed chance proved costly as immediately up the other end Sporting opened the scoring.
Jack Wilson’s pass somehow squirmed its way through to Bunn who drilled a deflected shot beyond Cooper and bag his ninth goal of the campaign.
From then on the game lost some of its tempo as neither side could fathom out any clear-cut chances.
And although Rugby continued to push, they were dealt a hammer blow just a minute before the break when Bunn netted again.
A swift counterattack allowed Brain to feed Bunn who cut inside and fired home via the help of another deflection.
After the interval Rugby spurned a great chance to pull one back but Ruben Wiggins-Thomas could only blaze over from the centre of goal after meeting substitute Harry Halloway’s inch-perfect cross.
Once again the missed chances came back to haunt the visitors as Sporting netted their third in the 50th minute.
A long goal-kick from Francis was gathered by Ward which allowed him to play in Wills whose low cross into the box was volleyed home beautifully by Brain to claim his third goal in two games.
It looked like Town were going to pull one back with 26 minutes left to play after Wiggins-Thomas rounded Francis but a fantastic tackle from Guy Clark denied the visitors’ No.10 from slotting into an empty net.
Wiggins-Thomas then saw a free header land into the grateful arms of Francis before Ben Ashby’s free-kick from the edge of the box did not have the whip and dip to beat the Sporting keeper.
Despite their pressure, it was Sporting who got the next and final goal of the afternoon in second-half stoppage time.
Ward’s low corner was missed by Max Loveridge but the loose ball made its way to Deards who could not miss from a couple of yards out to secure a resounding victory for the Rouslers ahead of Wednesday night’s trip to Westfields.
