Report: Notts County 0-2 Rovers
Notts County 0 Doncaster Rovers 2
Referee - Mr Paul Tierney
Attendance - 6,750 (1,195 visitors)
The Rovers made one change from Tuesday's starting eleven, Syers coming in for the injured Cotterill. Replacing Syers on the bench was new signing Sammy Clingan. The County were unchanged from their 3-all draw at home on Tuesday against Bournemouth.
The Rovers attacked the Kop end in the first half and spent the first five minutes in the opposition half, without troubling the keeper. Then in the 6th minute Bennett tried his luck from 25yards but put well wide of the far post. By this time the home team had warmed up and the game evened out. In the 20th minute the home team won a couple of corners but then four minutes later Hume won the ball off Leacock, ran on to the edge of the penalty area but fired past the far post. The home team went down to the Rovers end and won a couple of corners just before the half hour from the second of which Arquin shot wide from 25yards. General midfield play then ensued, with neither side getting to grips with the game. The home team did win a corner two minutes from the break but again it was cleared. Both sides had tried hard but the defences were on top.
Half Time - Notts County 0 Doncaster Rovers 0
The home team set the second half going and went straight on to the attack. Two minutes in and they won a corner but nothing came from it. Keeping up the pressure the County had successive corners but they were cleared. In the 58th minute the Rovers won a free kick 25yards out in the middle. Keegan placed it to the far post where Spurr headed it back inside for Bennett but he headed wide from close range. Then, in the 61st minute came a breakthrough in the game and it went to the Rovers. Bennett, in the centre, spread the ball out to Syers on the right. He placed a great cross to the far post where KEEGAN had the easy task of heading past Bialkowski. Two minutes later and the Rovers added another when Hume collected the ball halfway in the Notts half and passed inside to BROWN, who steadied himself and drove the ball into the net. The home team's response was to hit back but good defending by the Rovers only gave away a corner. The home team had the better of the next ten minutes but the Rovers defended well and began to move forward with their own attacks. In the 80th minute the Rovers got their first corner of the game but it was wasted. Try as they might but the home team could not break through the Rovers defence. The final whistle went on another victory for the Rovers, with two clinical finishes being the defining factor.
Result - Notts County 0 Doncaster Rovers 2 (Keegan 61 Brown 63)
Teams - Notts County - Bartosz Bialkowski; Neal Bishop, Dean Leacock, Gary Liddle, Jeff Hughes, Francois Zoko, Yoann Arquin, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Andre Boucaud, Jordan Stewart, Ashley Eastham
Subs used - Lee Hughes for Leacock 46 mins; Alan Judge for Zoko 62 mins; Romello Nangle for Boucaud 75 mins;
Subs not used - Alan Sheehan, Enoch Showunmi, Gavin Mahon, Hamza Bencherif, Romello Nangle, Kevin Pilkington gk
Caution - Bishop 90 mins;
ROVERS - Gary Woods; Paul Quinn, Rob Jones, Tommy Spurr, James Husband; David Syers, Paul Keegan, James Harper, Kyle Bennett; Iain Hume, Billy Paynter
Subs used - Chris Brown for Paynter 46 mins; Andy Griffin for Quinn 61 mins; Sammy Clingan for Hume 83 mins;
Subs not used - Robbie Blake, Michael Woods, Liam Wakefield, Neil Sullivan gk
Caution - Bennett 19 mins;