Award winning Rovers are roaring!

11 May 2017 By David Watters

Kempston Rovers can't wait for the next campaign to kick off after joint managers Gary Flinn and Jimmy Stoyles collected the club's reward for chasing successive promotions until the last day of their first season in the EVO-STIK League Southern.

Named alongside top flight champions Chippenham Town and Evesham United in Division One South & West as one March's trio of EVO-STIK League Southern Team of the Month Award winners, the Bedfordshire club laid the foundations for their late promotion push by taking seven points from a possible nine with two wins and two draws in EVO-STIK League Southern Division One Central.

The management duo at the Hillgrounds Stadium are pictured collecting the club's reward - an inscribed glass trophy to record their achievement and a 4.5L bottles of Bell's Whisky to celebrate their success with this summer - from EVO-STIK League Southern chairman Terry Barratt.

The Walnut Boys, who were promoted into the EVO-STIK League Southern as 2016 United Counties champions and missed out on reaching the promotion play-offs by a single point despite beating Histon 4-1 of the final day, were no strangers to the monthly accolades during their debut campaign at the highest level in the club's history after winning September's honours in the EVO-STIK League Southern's Division One Central.

Flinn and Stoyles have also congratulated their squad and the club's fans and officials on their successful debut season in the EVO-STIK League Southern in a joint statement.

The duo said: "Once again this fantastic group of players, nine who have played in excess of 100 games for us, have done this with a real purpose and quality. We would also like to thank the committee for their constant support and trust in us plus our fantastic supporters who always support the players and ourselves.

"We had good FA Cup and Trophy runs, a semi-final in the senior county cup and finished sixth in the club's first season in the Evo-Stik Southern League with 73 points. Wishing every player and our fellow managers, coaches a good break and summer."

Image courtesy of Shannon Wilmot Photography/Kempston Rovers

Follow the EVO-STIK League Southern on Twitter at @SouthernLeague1

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