DONCASTER ROVERS 2 Barnsley 2
Attendance – 2,913
Referee – Mr S Duncan
It was a warm sunny summer’s afternoon as local rivals Barnsley paid a friendly visit to the Keepmoat.
Although the Rovers kicked off the visitors were soon up and running and gained the first corner on five minute. Two minutes later and Etuhu had a go from 30 yards but Gary Woods saved at the second attempt. The keeper was then called upon again to save with his legs as a cross came in from the left resulting in another corner for the visitors. The Rovers then got going minutes later with Cotterill going on a fifty yards run down the right before losing possession. Then, in the 13th minute, Brown received the ball well in the Barnsley half on the rovers left, passed inside to Bennett, who did likewise to Martin WOODS. He turned inside to get the ball on his favoured left foot and stroked the ball into the far corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area. Scrappy play followed as Barnsley tried to get over the shock of going behind before coppinger put in a cross from the Rovers left which Brown back-headed for goal but put it wide. However, Barnsley equalised in the 25th minute when Davies got to a ball on the right byline and hit a hopeful low ball into the middle. Gary Woods missed it and, behind him, COTTERILL sliced the ball into the empty net. Three minutes later and Bennett took a free kick from a central position twenty-five yards out but was just wide. Both sides worked industriously in the final fifteen minutes but there was little to enthuse a sparse crowd.
Half Time – Doncaster Rovers 1 Barnsley 1
Barnsley spent the early minutes on the attack but only managed a corner. However, in the 52nd minute Gary Woods saved well when faced by Done, the ball hitting him in the chest. Davies picked up the rebound but his chip wasn’t good enough to clear Woods, who caught the ball easily. Past the hour and a good run down the middle by Perkins and a pass to O’Brien on the left gave him a chance to get in a shot but he fired into the side netting. Then Davies ran on to a through ball to the left of goal but with only Gary Woods to beat he put it wide of the far post. Stock then came on for Jones and had to play at centre back as there wasn’t anybody else to do so. Coppinger got in a strike from 25 yards that Alnwick saved and at the other end Gary Woods did likewise from Davies. Blake then hit a powerful drive wide. In the 73rd minute Barnsley took the lead when DAVIES latched on to a through ball with the Rovers defence nowhere in sight. He ran on to slot the ball easily past the keeper. However, four minutes later the Rovers were level when Cotterill put over a corner from the left that was missed by everybody including the keeper and sailed over to the far post where SYERS volleyed into the net. That was the end of the scoring but both sides fought hard to come up with a winner but when the referee blew for time the score was level at two goals each.
Teams – ROVERS – Gary Woods; David Syers, Rob Jones, Tommy Spurr, James Husband; James Coppinger, James Harper, Martin Woods, David Cotterill; Kyle Bennett, Chris Brown
Subs used – Karl Hawley for Brown 46 mins; Robbie Blake for Bennett 54 mins; Brian Stock for Jones 64 mins; Amari Morgan-Smith for Cotterill 78 mins;
Subs not used – Jordan Ball, Paddy Mullen, Jake McCormick
Barnsley – Ben Alnwick; John Stones, Steve Foster, Jimmy McNulty, Scott Wiseman; Kelvin Etuhu, Jacob Mellis, David Perkins, Matty Done; Toni Silva, Craig Davies
Subs used – Jim O’Brien for Silva 18 mins; Bobby Hassell for Stones 58 mins; Paul Digby for Mellis 58 mins; Chris Dagnall for Etuhu 78 mins; Lee Collins for Perkins 85 mins;
Subs not used –Ibrahima Sonko, Lukas Lidakevicius