To be fair, captain Sam Mason-Smith and his fellow visitors had the rub of the green in the first half and, indisputably, had the Fergus Neil-skippered Rovers playing catch-up footy all the way.
The green army went up 1-0 on the stroke of halftime after Blues defender Charlie Yexley, somewhat inexplicably, shoved Paul Ifill from behind to concede a penalty kick, which the former Wellington Phoenix and Millwall maestro planted into the net.
Did import Yexley, a momentary villain, have to do that?
No, of course not, because the cross from the right flank was too good for them both but the prudent will understand it's easy to make such statements from the cheap seats and it's not that straightforward in the heat of the moment.
Factor in soccer-savvy Ifill's skills, which include a repertoire of retorts for hecklers on the balcony, and you appreciate why he's more often than not a protagonist.
"Paul Ifill keeps coming back every year and keeps improving doesn't he? I think the fitness is still just about there and I'm sure it'll drop off but he just keeps scoring these goals," said Mason-Smith of the ageing striker, who not only scored two goals but also made clinical passes with vision and composure that youngsters such as Blues' red-carded substitute midfielder, Jorge Akers, will acquire with experience.
The Rovers equalised, 1-1, in the 58th minute from vice-captain Joshua Stevenson's fine chest-down and volley past goalkeeper Coey Turipa after golden-boot prospect Angus Kilkolly nodded Yexley's yawning throw-in.
But that joy was short-lived. Two minutes later, Ifill pounced on a long ball on the right flank that Rovers defenders had failed to clear to make it 2-1.
Ifill then became provider in the 69th minute to Swedish striker and fellow Tasman United teammate Ermal Hajdari to extend the lead to 3-1.
The Blues looked dead and buried but midfielder Ross Willox made it 3-2 in the 72nd minute before Kilkolly levelled 3-3 with a header four minutes later.
Hajdari and substitute Seule Soroman pushed it out to 5-3 in the first spell of extra time before Kilkolly raised hopes by pulling one back in the second spell but the clock had done its dash.
Robertson said their rivals' quality in the final third was the difference, with good national league individuals who could hurt sides in the blink of an eye.
The Blues had their chances, he felt, but hadn't taken them, so that was the difference.
He lamented the hosts' lapse in concentration in extra time.
"We're a little disappointed in that because I felt when we got back to 3-3 the momentum was with us," he said, putting some of it down to losing Neil to an injury in the dying minutes of regulation time.
"Even when we were down to 10 men in extra time we've pushed up and given ourselves opportunities so I'm really proud of the boys' efforts."
For Robertson it was back to the Lotto Central to close the gap on the frontrunners with a 70 per cent new squad compared with last season.
"If you'd said to me we would be closing in on the top three coming into the end of the season I think I would have bitten your hand off so I'm really pleased with the progress of the players and where we're at.
"Obviously this one is disappointing and it'll take a few days to get over but the boys have a lot to play for moving forward," he said.
A grinning Mason-Smith, reflecting on some humdingers with the Rovers over the years in goal-scoring sprees, said yesterday was about ensuring they got back into the hat this week to keep their cup hopes alive in the national knockout competition.
"At one point we were very comfortable but credit to Napier who came back twice and we were in for a battle so we're into the hat for the next round and that's what's most important," said Mason-Smith, feeling his men could have played a little smarter to avoid the anxiety.
The Thirsty Whale Hawke's Bay United striker felt the hosts got involved with match officials more than his side did and that was the difference.
"We try to stay away from that because we've been involved before," he said after referee Martin Roil flashed cards.
"There were some big decisions there, you know, but I think the ref's done well overall in managing to keep hold of the game."
