Tuesday 24th March 2019
SkyBet EFL League One
at the Keepmoat Stadium
Doncaster Rovers (3) 4
James Coppinger 3, 12,
Mallik Wilks 31,
Kieran Sadlier 46
James Coppinger 3, 12,
Mallik Wilks 31,
Kieran Sadlier 46
Bristol Rovers (0) 1
Jonson Clarke-Harris 66 pen
Jonson Clarke-Harris 66 pen
Attendance: 6,907 (inc. 323 away fans)
Bristol Rovers arrived at the Keepmoat on the back of an unbeaten run of five consecutive league games, during which time they had kept four clean sheets. Whereas tonight's hosts hadn't picked up a win in their last seven League One outings, which had seen them drop to seventh in the table, one place and one point outside the play off positions, after they succumbed to a 4-0 defeat at Luton Town at the weekend.
Despite their recent run of good form, the visitors, who drew 2-2 at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday thanks to a stoppage time goal from Gavin Reilly, began the night in fifteenth place, some twelve points adrift of 'Donny'.
Subsequently, after tonight's result, which saw the host side rip the form book to shreds and score four goals against 'the Gas' for the second time this season, Graham Coughlan's visitors are just three points above the relegation places, where just four points separate nine teams in the bottom half of the congested table. Whereas 'Donny' leapfrogged over Peterborough and back up into the top six, two points ahead of their former manager Darren Ferguson, who recently took over the reigns at London Road for a third time, after the Posh had offloaded the massively popular (I'm being sarcastic) Steve Evans in January.
I hear told that another club in the lower reaches of this division are sniffing around the former: Stamford, Boston United (twice), Crawley Town, Rotherham United, Leeds United, Mansfield Town and Peterborough United manager, with a view to employing him and his sidekick Paul Raynor, to salvage their fortunes this season.
My advice on the matter would be... it's not very hygienic to sniff around Steve Evans.
The last time that I'd seen Mallik Wilks in action, he scored the only goal of the game in a reserve fixture against Mansfield Town at Alfreton last month, on an afternoon when the Stags captain Alex MacDonald had 'marked him' very closely for the forty five minutes that he was actually on the pitch, before he was subbed at half time.
Bristol's Ed Upson also appeared to be au fait with the fact that you'll get a reaction out of Wilks if you push his buttons enough too. I'm not suggesting for one minute that Grant McCann substituted his number seven as a precautionary measure, with fifteen minutes to go, to avoid any recriminations, after Wilks had been body checked by Tony Craig, in an incident that went unpunished, shortly after he'd already been been booked, but if you've got a better theory, I'd be more than happy to hear from you.
Moments later the visitors also sent Stuart Sinclair on in place of Upson, after he'd just been cautioned (some might say: 'not before time') for a heavy lunge on Marquis in front of the dug outs.
Wilks however, had already done irreparable damage to the oppositions defence, just after the half hour mark, when Coppinger (who else would it have been?) played a delightful pass in behind the static visitors defence, for Wilks to run onto, before pulling the ball back with his right foot and shooting with his left across the face of goal and in by the far post.
In the sixty sixth minute, Jonson Clarke-Harris scored a consolation goal, from the resulting penalty kick, after Matty Blair had pushed Gavin Reilly over in the area.
Clarke-Harris had two more decent chances to salvage something out of the game, while Paul Downing went close to adding to Doncaster's total. Tommy Rowe shot high and wide... and right at the death, Marquis missed a sitter, when he couldn't keep his header on target from a great position, right in front of Bonham's goal.
At least his critics could now go home and have a good moan about the 'Donny' number nine, when all told, there were far more positive aspects that they could have been discussing, following this convincing and well deserved win.
FT: Doncaster Rovers 4 v Bristol Rovers 1
Both of these sides are at home on Saturday, when Walsall visit the Keepmoat and Luton Town travel to the Memorial Stadium.
Despite their recent run of good form, the visitors, who drew 2-2 at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday thanks to a stoppage time goal from Gavin Reilly, began the night in fifteenth place, some twelve points adrift of 'Donny'.
My advice on the matter would be... it's not very hygienic to sniff around Steve Evans.
With Herbie Kane (on loan to Doncaster from Liverpool) being sidelined until the end of the season and Ben Whiteman also being unavailable for this crunch match, there was a tinge of doom-laden negativity amid much of the pre-match conversation in the Belle Vue Bar, prior to what some of the rank and file Rovers fans present were citing as a 'must win' game, if the home side were to keep their play off hopes alive.
But hey! They've still got good old reliable James Coppinger, who at a mere 38 years of age, will always stand up and be counted, to give them that extra push in the right direction, whenever his side are 'holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night'.
But hey! They've still got good old reliable James Coppinger, who at a mere 38 years of age, will always stand up and be counted, to give them that extra push in the right direction, whenever his side are 'holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night'.
'Copps' had a generous slice of good fortune when he netted the opening goal inside the third minute, when he scuffed his shot, which completely flummoxed the visitors goalkeeper Jack Bonham, who may well have pulled off a save if only the ball had been struck properly, instead of letting it squeeze underneath him and over the line.
Mallik Wilks rolled a pass out to Kieran Stadlier on the left flank, whose sideways pass across the edge of the eighteen yard box was touched into the path of Coppinger by John Marquis... and the 'club legend' curled a dipping shot, into the bottom right hand corner of the net, from twenty yards out, beyond the reach of Bonham, to claim his second goal of the game.
Mallik Wilks rolled a pass out to Kieran Stadlier on the left flank, whose sideways pass across the edge of the eighteen yard box was touched into the path of Coppinger by John Marquis... and the 'club legend' curled a dipping shot, into the bottom right hand corner of the net, from twenty yards out, beyond the reach of Bonham, to claim his second goal of the game.
Bristol's Ed Upson also appeared to be au fait with the fact that you'll get a reaction out of Wilks if you push his buttons enough too. I'm not suggesting for one minute that Grant McCann substituted his number seven as a precautionary measure, with fifteen minutes to go, to avoid any recriminations, after Wilks had been body checked by Tony Craig, in an incident that went unpunished, shortly after he'd already been been booked, but if you've got a better theory, I'd be more than happy to hear from you.
Wilks however, had already done irreparable damage to the oppositions defence, just after the half hour mark, when Coppinger (who else would it have been?) played a delightful pass in behind the static visitors defence, for Wilks to run onto, before pulling the ball back with his right foot and shooting with his left across the face of goal and in by the far post.
The lid was nailed tightly closed on any fading hopes of a second half comeback that the visitors might have been harbouring, when Sadlier spanked home an unstoppable shot from thirty yards out, from Marquis' lay off.
Cue the 'Life's a Gas' and 'Pirates sunk with out a trace' puns... yo, ho, ho!
"I suppose that chuffing 'Angel of the North' will be wanting to claim an assist for that one!", boomed a dissenting voice. "Stood there like that bloody statue, with his arms outstretched blaming everyone else when he misses!"
Well, Marquis had missed a couple of chances tonight, but he had made the final pass for two of the goals as well. So maybe he's merely holding his arms out waiting for his critics to crucify him, which several people certainly seemed to enjoy doing.
In the sixty sixth minute, Jonson Clarke-Harris scored a consolation goal, from the resulting penalty kick, after Matty Blair had pushed Gavin Reilly over in the area.
Clarke-Harris had two more decent chances to salvage something out of the game, while Paul Downing went close to adding to Doncaster's total. Tommy Rowe shot high and wide... and right at the death, Marquis missed a sitter, when he couldn't keep his header on target from a great position, right in front of Bonham's goal.
At least his critics could now go home and have a good moan about the 'Donny' number nine, when all told, there were far more positive aspects that they could have been discussing, following this convincing and well deserved win.
FT: Doncaster Rovers 4 v Bristol Rovers 1
