Bennett and Clarke on target as Bristol Rovers beat Crawley

Posted Wednesday, August 15, 2018 by PA

League One Bristol Rovers pulled rank on 10-man Crawley, winning 2-1 at the Memorial Stadium to progress to the second round of the Carabao Cup.

Kyle Bennett headed the Pirates in front on 32 minutes and Ollie Clarke made sure when adding a second six minutes from time.

Mark Connolly gave the League Two underdogs hope, heading in from close range in the 88th minute, but it proved too little, too late for Crawley, who were reduced to 10 men when substitute Dominic Poleon was sent off by referee Lee Swabey for picking up a second yellow card in added time.

Crawley squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead midway through the first half, with Panutche Camara shooting wide from two yards out.

But Rovers were the better team for the most part and their dominance was rewarded when Bennett stooped to head in from a Sam Matthews corner.

They could and should have extended their lead, Tom Lockyer sending a header inches too high and Chris Lines having a goal-bound shot deflected behind.

Rovers continued to call the shots after the break and Clarke gave his side breathing space when advancing to the edge of the penalty area and firing a low shot into the bottom corner.

But there was still time for Connolly to head in from a corner and set up a tense finale.