Donny kebabed

Donny kebabed

For at least 70 minutes of a keenly contested game, Doncaster Rovers displayed all the characteristics of a team in fine form: momentum, sharpness, and a desire to compete in this division after promotion.

In the first half hour in particular, Rovers ran Town ragged with a highly effective press, forcing error after error as the hosts failed to find any rhythm. They were hugely fortunate not to concede on several occasions.

Outplayed in all areas of the pitch, Town had to strain to stay in a game that seemed to be constantly slipping away as Rovers’ crisp and incisive passing created threat after threat.

Defensively fragile, the Terriers were at least resilient. Feeney made an excellent block, the otherwise shaky Goodman produced saves of varying difficulty, and, most notably, Castledine made a fantastic recovering tackle on Sbarra, who was clean through on goal following a counter-attack from a Town corner.

With Murray all at sea at left-back, the midfield barely functioning, and an isolated May posing no threat, it was a torrid opening 30 minutes. The spell was only interrupted by a strategic “injury” to Goodman, allowing Lee Grant time to make adjustments to a game plan which emphasised the lack of developed partnerships in a squad still working each other out.

That break — cynical, and something that really ought to be outlawed — seemed to partially do the trick. Town began to more effectively quell their superior opponents, and the game became more even. The home side finally created a reasonable chance when a long ball to Harness saw the ex-Ipswich man turn a hopeful punt into a good shot, which was well saved.

The calmer final 15 minutes couldn’t erase the very poor start, but Town went into the break with the consolation that they hadn’t conceded. While they had plenty of room for improvement, their visitors may already have peaked.

As it turned out, the winds of change came slowly and almost imperceptibly for much of the second half. Rovers weren’t quite the force they had been, and Town reduced their error count and began to edge towards some coherence.

It was far from perfect — and barely counts as redemptive — but Billy Sharp could still have made it a miserable evening. His customary threat against Town saw him spin cleverly in the box, only for his shot to be blocked by the well-positioned Low.

At nearly 40, the hugely experienced striker continues to ply his trade admirably in an attractive and successful side. Less admirably, his tendency towards over-aggression earned him a booking for a cheap, late challenge on Low.

Pleasingly for Grant, the game turned on his substitutions. Sorensen, Wiles, and Taylor replaced the less-than-convincing Murray (who found Molyneux a handful), the otherwise heroic Castledine, and the far-too-isolated May.

Ten minutes later, Roosken fed Harkness, whose cleverly disguised and perfectly weighted pass found Wiles’s run into the box. The substitute finished smartly to give Town an undeserved but welcome lead.

Fellow substitute Taylor, full of running, latched onto a long ball down the channel minutes later and ran at the visitors’ defence with intent. Inexplicably, O’Riordan grabbed the Town striker’s shirt. While it looked fairly innocuous, it was an easy penalty for the referee to give.

Taylor stepped up and buried his third spot-kick of the season. After so many years of rarely getting home penalties, to earn one in each of the home games so far is quite remarkable. Attacking the box brings rewards, it seems.

A hugely flattering scoreline does, however, need context.

Doncaster hadn’t been beaten since March. The familiarity of their side, coupled with their established, eye-catching style, spoke of a unit with momentum and a winning mentality. Town had to dig very deep to hang in, and while it was visibly uncomfortable, they stuck to the task.

Goalkeeper Goodman had an evening he may wish to forget. Though he made one or two decent saves, his distribution was generally poor and included presenting the opposition with a good chance they might have capitalised upon.

He wasn’t alone in being below par, and Grant acknowledges it will take time for this talented squad to truly gel. Three wins — including this one against a very good side — while that development continues is encouraging, even if the last two performances haven’t been great.

There was much to admire about Doncaster. Emulating their winning mentality and highly motivated teamwork would serve Town well this season. It may take time, but with the quality of players at the coaching staff’s disposal, it is surely achievable.

Another tough challenge awaits next, against yet another side with momentum and belief.