Pirates grab late victory

Tom Hitchcock fired a late winner for Bristol Rovers in a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened AFC Wimbledon.

The striker controlled the ball neatly inside the box and directed his right-footed volley beyond goalkeeper John Sullivan, who may have been unsighted. The goal settled a dire game of few chances. Wimbledon defended solidly but were rarely able to test Rovers keeper Steve Mildenhall. Fabian Broghammer hit a post for Rovers with an angled shot after 36 minutes - one of the few moments of excitement in a drab first half. Ryan Brunt had a 25-yard shot deflected just over for the home side, while Gary Alexander's close range volley for Wimbledon was blocked by a defender. Sammy Moore fired wide from distance for the visitors as defences dominated. Victory continued a remarkable run by Rovers from the bottom of the table to the fringe of the play-off places since John Ward took over as manager in December.