Rotherham United 0 v Doncaster Rovers 1 - EFLYA

"Oh no! It's that bloody pest from THE66POW again!"

Saturday 14th April 2017
EFL U18 Youth Alliance
at Roundwood Sports Complex, Parkgate FC
Rotherham United (0) 0
Doncaster Rovers (1) 1
Cody Prior 42

With three games left to go in the Youth Alliance (North East) season, Rotherham kicked off eight points adrift of the league leaders and reigning champions Mansfield Town, but their long odds and outside chance of nicking the title, which would have depended on the young Stags losing all three of their remaining games, went up in smoke today; when Cody Prior's forty second minute strike, took a slight deflection off of Adam Saxton, that wrong footed the Millers keeper George McMahon and ended up in the back of his net.
Rotherham have been enjoying a great run of form, but with Rovers having sent several players out on work experience placements elsewhere, they were something of an unknown quantity today, with a side that contained several first year academy players.

George Foster, the former Mansfield Town player, manager
and player manager was here scouting for Derby County

Declan Ogley in the visitors goal had a good game today and he kept Rotherham out from their first attack, when he did well to tip Jovanni Sterling's powerful close range header over, after Lewis Murr had delivered a well weighted long range free kick into the 'Donny' six yard box.
Reece McGinley got free on the left wing and met Josh Kayode's well timed run with a dipping cross, that Ogley did well to take off of the Millers number seven's head.
One of the key battles in the first half, saw McGinley pitted against the visitors right back and captain Tyler Walker.
The outcome of that particular head to head, finished just about honours even, but Rotherham decided to switch McGinley to the right flank after half time, to see if he'd come up against less resistance on the opposite wing.

Walker ventured forward and hooked a diagonal pass into the path of James Morris, but the ever alert J'Cee Abraham moved inside quickly to make a timely interception.
Murr launched a long ball towards the Millers area, that was cleared by McMahon as he sprinted from his area and doubled up as an emergency centre half as he headed the ball back towards the halfway line.
The visitors left back Brandon Horten, was adept at putting quality balls into McMahon's goalmouth from dead balls, but it would seem that United have yet another good young prospect in goal and he made light work of gathering Horten's long knock towards Kane Bingley.

Horten was back defending his own goal shortly afterwards and headed McGinley's cross away from danger, before forcing another stop by McMahon with a well struck thirty five yard free kick.
I did a double take to make sure Horten didn't have a twin on the pitch, when he ran across to take a left wing corner, from which he picked out Jacob Fletcher, whose header was cleared off the line by Sterling.
Just before half time, Prior ran onto a defence splitting pass by Horten and put Rovers in front with a deflected shot, that turned out to be the only goal of a closely fought game.
HT: Millers 0 v Rovers 1

From the restart, McGinley cut inside from the right wing and chipped the ball to Trae Adeyemi,who couldn't keep his header on target.
Doncaster were defending well and Kayode, faced by a wall of bodies decided to unleash a shot from twenty five yards, that bounced up in front of Ogley, but he still managed to turn the ball around the post at full stretch.
Kayode's throw in down the left touchline was intercepted by Walker who powered forward before passing inside to Morgan, who in turn threaded the ball through for Morris, who cursed his luck as it sat up in front of him as he was about to pull the trigger and he could only drill the ball wide of the left hand post.

Sterling delivered a long pass to Kayode who took a step backwards before clipping the ball towards the right hand cornher of the visitors goal on the turn, but Ogley got down and got a hand to it again and Rovers breathed a collective sigh of relief as the ball went wide at the expense of a corner.
McGinley's twenty yard shot was blocked and cleared by Horten and as the visitors shifted play quickly from box to box, Anthony Greaves' launched the ball up the park for Lewis Scattergood to chase, but McMahon and Sterling cleared the danger between them.
Rotherham upped the ante and Rovers had to defend in numbers, while Adeyemi went close with a thumping shot that narrowly cleared the bar.

Saxton met a right wing free kick at the back stick, but headed into the side netting. While Ogley climbed to pluck Deegan Atherton's delivery towards Akeel Francis out of the air.
The referee Matt Tyers blew his whistle to halt the game and booked Keegan Townrow for talking to him out of turn, I am led to believe that he'd told the referee that yellow didn't really suit him and that they also made shirts similar to the one he was wearing, in his size, or something similar ;-) Come on lads, play fair, some of these referee's are sensitive souls.

McGinlley switched back to the left wing, but was thwarted by Walker before he could get his cross away after trying to take the Rovers skipper on around the outside. But the plucky number eleven was back moments later and though Walker forced him to go inside, he still managed to shoot with his right foot, but Ogley was well placed to deal with the sitaution.
Doncaster were forced to defend like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and their pals had done in San Antonio, but them there Texans didn't have Declan Ogley in goal and right at the end he was the difference, as Rovers held onto their slender lead and won the day.
FT: Rotherham United U18 0 v Doncaster Rovers U18 1