Rovers riot as Dale flounder
ROCHDALE’S attempt to bounce back from Saturday’s heavy home defeat at the hands of Bradford fell flat on its face against Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium on New Year’s Day.
Keith Hill had intended to get on the front foot for 2019, but his side were very much on the back foot from the off.
A frantic first-half saw Rovers take the lead with little over 40 seconds played, scoring the first goal of 2019 in Sky Bet League One, and that set the tone for the afternoon.
Hill made four changes to the team which had kicked off the clash against Bradford with Magnus Norman, Harrison McGahey, Kgosi Ntlhe and Aaron Morley all brought in as Brendan Moore, Brad Inman, Jordan Williams and Joe Rafferty dropped out.
The contest got off to a terrible start for the visitors when Mallik Wilks received the ball on the right-hand side and floated a brilliantlyweighted cross into the area, towards Alfie May, unmarked at the back post, whose cushioned header looped into the net in the opposite corner.
Dale stopper Norman produced a fine save two minutes later to deny John Marquis’ goalbound header, diving low to his right to turn the ball around the post.
He comfortably held efforts from May and Ben Whiteman, before getting a strong hand to a powerful effort from Mallik Wilks.
Danny Andrew fired wide from distance, before Ollie Rathbone’s curling effort was headed behind by a Doncaster defender.
Norman held on to a low shot from Wilks, but was not able to get anywhere near Rovers’ next real attempt on goal, with Ali Crawford curling a free-kick into the far corner from the tightest of angles to double the home side’s lead with the first half just reaching the halfway point.
Both Crawford and Andy Butler came close to extending the lead further, with Crawford seeing Norman at full stretch to deny him from another freekick, before Butler flashed a header wide from the resulting corner.
The third goal would arrive from another setpiece routine on 34 minutes, with Andrew playing a short free-kick to Marquis who in-turn laid the ball off to Whiteman.
He crossed into the area from the left-hand side of the box and there was Marquis to power home a header into the corner and give Rovers a three-goal lead at the interval.
Rathbone sent a low shot narrowly wide from just outside the area in reply, before Crawford saw two free-kicks fly narrowly past the far post.
Bradden Inman and Calvin Andrew replaced Dan Adshead and Morley at the break, and Dale started the second-half brightly, with Ian Henderson firing wide and Rathbone seeing a bouncing effort well held.
Henderson saw a header held from MJ Williams’ chipped cross, before Matty Done had a low effort deflected narrowly wide of the far post.
Crawford chipped an effort narrowly over, before Marquis added Doncaster’s fourth, via a huge helping hand from Dale stopper Norman with 15 minutes left to play.
Marquis took aim from distance with what was a tame effort in truth, but Norman palmed the ball into the back of the net.
There would be time for a fifth too, with Marquis playing the ball out wide to Matty Blair, who in-turn crossed the ball into the area for the on-rushing substitute James Coppinger, who duly obliged with a diving header into the corner.
Henderson clipped an effort narrowly wide before Rathbone fired off target, whilst substitute Matty Gillam forced the Doncaster stopper into a strong fist away with the final action of the game.