ROVERS fell to a disappointing defeat at Oldham Athletic after substitute Queensy Menig struck in the final minute.

The winger raced on to a neat flick and found the corner with a neat finish from just inside the box as Rovers fell to fourth defeat of the season.

In truth, Rovers were second best for much of what was fiercely competitive encounter at SportsDirect.com Park and deserved little more than what they got after a poor performance. 

Their best chance came in the first-half when Elliott Bennett could only find the side netting after rounding the goalkeeper, while Peter Whittingham’s corner in the second half had to be cleared off the line.

But David Raya had made a couple of good stops to keep his side level in what was a frustrating afternoon for the 3,500 travelling fans.

Rovers made two changes to their side, with Elliott Ward replacing the injured Paul Downing while Craig Conway returned in place of Bradley Dack who dropped to the bench.

That saw Tony Mowbray revert to a 4-4-2, but it was the hosts, operating in the same system , who started the stronger.

Richie Smallwood was forced in to a terrific tackle to deny Peter Clarke a shooting opportunity after Derrick Williams was caught out from a Jack Byrne corner, before Ward did well to stop Eoin Doyle’s shot making its way goalwards.

Rovers’ first opening came moments later, but after showing good presence of mind to pounce on the loose ball, Marcus Antonsson could find the target with his effort.

Doyle, fresh from his six goals in his last seven games, had the game’s first shot on target in the 12th minute.  He showed good pace in the channel to run beyond Ward, but after bending an effort goalwards, David Raya was able to gather with ease diving away to his left.

In what was an entertaining, and competitive, opening to the game, Rovers then went close three minutes later.  They worked a good opening down the left with some neat passing involving Conway and Williams, the ball was laid off to Peter Whittingham whose shot was deflected just wide of the far post.

A front pairing of the powerful Craig Davies, and willing runner Doyle, was causing Rovers problems and they linked up to good effect in the 22nd minute.  Davies held off the attentions of Caddis before playing in his strike partner who forced a save from Raya with a well-hit effort from the edge of the box.

At the other end, Rovers were struggling to force any saves from Johnny Placide, thought Elliott Bennett will have been disappointed not to have hit the target from 25 yards. He moved infield to join in the attack, and after finding room, shot goalwards, but wide of the target.

He then had a golden chance in the 27th minute and left the crowd amazed that he didn’t open the scoring.  With a run from deep, he broke the offside trap, and then rounded the keeper, but could only find the side netting from an acute angle with two Rovers players waiting for a pull-back.

That came in Rovers’ best spell of the half, and they forced a good save out of Placide on the half hour mark.  It was all of Dominic Samuel’s making as he skipped past the challenge of Kean Bryan with some neat footwork and tried his luck with a curling effort from 25 yards, only to be denied by good hands from the Oldham stopper.

Oldham continued to carry a threat however, and 10 minutes before the break, had a great chance to take the lead.  They countered a Rovers corner quickly, with Davies breaking in the box, only to denied by a top save from Raya away to his right.  The keeper was quickly to his feet to deal with Doyle’s follow-up effort to keep the game all square.

Moments before the break, the hosts threatened again, with Rovers grateful for the good tracking back of Bennett to deny Nepomuceno getting a shot away after breaking in behind.

With no changes at half-time, Mowbray will have been looking for more from his side as an attacking force.  Within four minutes they almost had the lead with Peter Whittingham going close to his first goal for the club. After Samuel had seen an earlier effort blocked, he teed up the midfielder whose rasping drive crashed off the crossbar.

At the other end, Jack Byrne curled a 25-yarder wide of the post, while Davies shot tamely straight at Raya from an acute angle.

The  home crowd began to get behind their side, and seizing the initiative, Oldham started to dominate with Rovers struggling to get up the pitch. Davies was inches away from turning a Doyle cross beyond Raya.

Sensing something needed to change, Mowbray turned to his bench, sending on Harry Chapman and Danny Graham. That failed to bring a spark to Rovers however as it was the Latics who continued to dominate.

Though they did manage their first attempt on target of the second half with 20 minutes gone, Samuel looking to head over the advancing Placide from a ball over the top, but the keeper did well to hang on.

A third change then followed as Bradley Dack replaced Richie Smallwood and Rovers moved back to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

It developed in to a fractious affair, with three bookings in quick sucecssion as the referee struggled to keep control.

Though Rovers did think they had taken the lead with 10 minutes to go when somehow an inswinging Whittingham corner was kept out on the line by a mixture of Placide and the covering defenders.

Oldham continued to get in to good positions, but their shooting was a real disappointment, with Menig, Davies and Byrne all wasteful with their efforts from the edge of the box.

But Menig would come up with the finish when it mattered most in the final minute, firing the far corner with a neat finish after running clear of both Caddis and Mulgrew following a neat flick.

Five minutes of added on time were indicated, but Rovers didn’t threaten, and the Latics would have doubled their advantage were Raya not to have kept out Byrne’s late strike as the hosts earned a fourth consecutive win under caretaker boss Richie Wellens.