What a day to be a Rovers fan! Doncaster made an incredible start to their game against the struggling Walsall and secured a crucial win.
This extends their buffer zone between them and the several teams trying to pinch their 6th place play-off position.
John Marquis gave the lads the start they needed, with a second minute penalty after Mallik Wilks was brought down by George Dobson. The challenge was right on the edge of the box and the ref, in a perfect position, decided that it was inside the area.
Wilks soon at it again, scoring just two minutes later, smashing the ball into the back of the net from the corner of the box after a brilliant driving run. The Leeds loanee has now scored 13 in the league and this was the third time he’d done so in back-to-back games this season.
Walsall pulled a goal back after 13 minutes when Josh Gordon poached one in from close range after a goal-line scramble but the tension in the stands eased somewhat after Danny Andrew’s driven free-kick from 20 yards.
The gloves of Marko Marosi saw multiple Walsall attempts thwarted, saving shots from Corey Blackett-Taylor, Zeli Ismail and Josh Gordon. The consistent first team experience is clearly proving extremely beneficial for the Slovakian keeper who poses a viable threat to Ian Lawlor’s number #1 shirt.
The victory is extremely important for the Red and Whites, continuing on from their excellent display against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night. Now that they’ve made the most of their play-off rivals not playing, they sit five points ahead of Peterborough- headed by ex-manager Darren Ferguson. The Posh now have a game in hand, meaning every win that the Rovers get will prove vital if they are to cling on to their top six spot.
words Dylan Hutchinson, Doncaster Rovers fan