I’ve read Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’, but never seen it performed. But I don’t have to, I support Doncaster Rovers. Each game I’ve watched, this season and last, an interminable wait for something, anything to happen for this team, and yet it never does.
Continue reading “Crawley Town 1-1 Doncaster Rovers: 250 word match report”
The first of three seemingly must-win games for Gary McSheffrey began with an home fixture against Crawley Town, and a changed team and formation included the returns of Kieron Agard and Joseph Olowu, and Ben Close back for his first league game in over a year.
Continue reading “Doncaster Rovers 4-1 Crawley Town: 250 word match report”
On another day this could have been a second successive away victory, but at Broadfield Stadium Rovers found themselves up against a goalkeeper in determined mood. Continue reading “Crawley Town 0-0 Doncaster Rovers; 250 word match report”
Rovers took on Crawley in a game of firsts, as seven players made their home league debuts in the first fourth tier match to be played at the Keepmoat. Continue reading “Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Crawley Town; 250 word match report”
It’s rare you can justify paying £22 to sit in a marquee on the outskirts of Crawley. Thanks to the Rovers , tonight was that anomaly. Continue reading “Crawley Town 0-5 Doncaster Rovers; 250 word match report”
In general, a night of frustration from Rovers and two points dropped rather than one gained against Crawley’s direct style. I say ‘from Rovers’, for the players appeared as frustrated as those in the stands.
Doncaster looked to have learned the key lessons from Saturday’s defeat; cut out the mistakes and stop Harry Forrester getting sent off.
However, this fear of making a mistake, along with Crawley’s insistence on keeping eight behind the ball delivered a dull first half.
Between the head-tennis, Jamie Coppinger and Kyle Bennett looked lively, but play was slow and lacked quality in the final third, with the loudest cheer generated by the ball being hoofed over the East Stand roof.
The second half was much the same, with Rovers’ taking more of a foothold over time. Theo Robinson is a trier, but one coated in Teflon; a poor pass or touch, too often breaking Rovers’ build up, with Coppinger twice visibly cursing the number nine.
The match required some magic, a game changer. And so to the last five minutes, where Rovers finally laid siege, with a crispness and an urgency that had been missing all night. Reece Wabara’s deep cross found Robinson; his point blank header saved brilliantly by Jamie Ashdown. Coppinger drilled low, this time Ashdown parried, and Robinson hit the rebound into the prone keeper. A cracking double save, but he should’ve scored.
A positive, but ultimately disappointing night – how we could’ve done with Harry.
Selling the fanzine over the course of a season gets you many things; sunburn, pneumonia, ignored, to name but three, but it also gets you an insight into the mood of supporters. Standing outside the ground for an hour and a half watching the day’s attendance drift by you are able to gain a sense of the fans’ prevailing mood. Saturday, was the first time in a year I had sold popular STAND to generally happy people. Yorkshire folk aren’t known for showing their emotions, but still, the overall optimism and enthusiasm brought from starting a new campaign with back to back wins was clearly evident. Continue reading “Double Headache; Rovers 0-1 Crawley Town / Belles 0-4 Arsenal”
popular STAND fanzine 