There’s no better way to win a local derby than an undeserved last minute winner. It means you get to not only enjoy the opposition fans’ disappointment, but their crushing sense of injustice too. ‘You’s dint deserve that’ said one, leaving the ground. ‘Aye,’ I grinned, ‘I know’.
Defeating Barnsley doesn’t change too much of what’s already been a slog of a season. But in the same way a nice pint at 5pm on a Friday won’t change your terrible week at work; it certainly makes things look better.
Through spectacles newly tinted rose, Rovers are unbeaten at home. And on Doncastrian turf at least have found a way to be hard to breakdown.
In the first half of this game Barnsley controlled possession. Poor James Horsfield probably still doesn’t know what Kadeem Harris’ face looks like, having spent his match chasing the winger. Harris rounded Horsfield with ease, but found end products harder to come by; flashing over with shot and cross.
Instead, against the run of play, Rovers took the lead; James Coppinger’s cross, met by the deftest of near post flicks by the lively Keshi Anderson.
The second half proved more balanced; Barnsley equalised through Sam Winnall’s well-placed header, and brought two decent saves out of Thorsten Stuckmann once level. However, Rovers were mercifully improved too and in the 90th minute smashed and grabbed a win. Young Harry Middleton delaying his pass into the feet of Richard Chaplow to give the midfielder enough room to fire home.
by Glen Wilson
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