MATCH REPORT: Doncaster Rovers 2-1 AFC Wimbledon

A healthy crowd greeted the two teams on a cool but very sunny South Yorkshire afternoon.

Both these teams had been in poor form recently & it certainly showed in the opening exchanges with both teams losing possession & misplacing passes almost at will. Rovers were dealt a blow on 16 minutes when attacking threat Mallik Wilks limped off following an innocuous challenge, forward Alfie May replacing him.

The Dons were gradually gaining the upper hand & almost scored when Kwesi Appiah played in midfielder Anthony Wordsworth but his first touch was poor allowing Rovers keeper Ian Lawlor to gather.

The Dons continued in this vein & deservedly got themselves in front on 26 minutes with a fine finish from midfielder Mitch Pinnock following fine work from Appiah & Wordsworth.

Just as the Londoners were starting to look comfortable Rovers equalised on 36 minutes through a delightful curling 25 yard strike from young Scottish midfielder Ali Crawford, a goal out of nothing to level matters. Back came the Dons & right on the half time whistle a Scott Wagstaff 25 yarder was alertly tipped over the bar by Lawlor.

HALF TIME ROVERS 1 DONS 1

The start of the second half was delayed by six minutes because of an unidentified drone flying over the stadium. When the action recommenced unsurprisingly it was the home side who were trying to force the pace but apart from tame efforts by full back Danny Andrew & the out of sorts John Marquis Wimbledon’s back four were coping comfortably with Donny’s efforts.

Donny forward Tommy Rowe entered the fray on 74 minutes after two months out with injury replacing the tiring Crawford & it was Rowe who settled the game in the home teams favour lashing the ball home from just outside the area on 82 minutes past an unsighted McDonnell in the Dons goal. The away side tried to respond in the latter stages with Wagstaff having a penalty appeal turned down in the 4 minutes injury time but time ran out for the Dons.

After a pretty good & very interesting first half the game got bogged down into an uninspiring midfield battle in the second & Rowes winning goal came as a surprise to most people in the crowd. Rovers came away with the points which IMO was a little harsh on the Dons whose determined organised display merited a point.

words Ian Bradley, D3D4 roving reporter