Sky Bet League One
Saturday 21st December 2019
A fair result in a game which the visitors just about shaded.
Rovers, nevertheless, were left to rue a late defensive lapse at a set-piece which cost them two points after Jon Taylor's superb counter-attack opener had them in front.
It means the winless streak is extended by another game and, annoyingly, there were plenty of 'doom merchants' airing their views on the way out of the Keepmoat Stadium.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm at a different game to what some people watch! Although the performance wasn't great (it did improve after half-time) and there IS substantial room for improvement, credit has to be given to Stanley for their hard-work and endeavour. They are tricky opponents and, in my view, probably don't get the respect they deserve because of their unfashionable status as a club.
That is something which has to be recognised in any criticism of Rovers' performance!
Yes, there's a distinct lack of potency up top which needs to be addressed once the transfer window opens - and if that means the board have to 'dig deep' then so be it. Yes, there was sometimes a lack of urgency to get the ball into wider areas quickly which probably would have hurt the opposition. Yes, Accy made their presence felt more effectively and controlled parts of the game. Yes, the 'playing out from the back' philosophy is frightening sometimes and invites unnecessary pressure.
On the flip side, however, there was a marked improvement in the second half.
In small doses, there were some good periods of possession in dangerous areas (as opposed to passing side-wards or backwards) - one of these was around the 75-minute mark in a move which ended after Madger Gomes mis-controlled the ball. There was also some good defensive shape on show which thwarted the visitors and helped to keep things tight.
It wasn't vintage. It wasn't vastly entertaining and the critics calling for Darren Moore's head, fearing a relegation battle, need not react in such a 'knee-jerk' fashion. This could have been three points had it not been for a defensive lapse, not dealing with the second ball, in a set-piece where Offrande Zanzala stabbed a shot home from point-blank range.
Yes, it could have also been a defeat had Seny Dieng not made a superb save on the brink of injury-time, but that's football. Goals always have and always will alter the course of games.
A win is needed and a win will eventually come. What is noticeable to fans will be more than noticeable to the manager who'll feel the highs and lows of results more than anyone watching in the stands, and it'd be foolish not to expect business in January!
Aside from the fall-out of the result/performance, referee Andy Haines needs a mention for yet another dreary and underwhelming display.
Thankfully, he didn't make any major screw-ups or annoy either manager that much they wanted to shoot him afterwards (as Darren Ferguson wanted to do after a 1-1 draw with Plymouth, about this time two years ago).
That said, his penchant for bringing play back (thus not allowing an advantage) was irritating, he made quite a few poor decisions - affecting both teams and also didn't seem to want to penalise the visitors for quite obvious time-wasting from inside the opening 10 minutes.
Plenty of biased critics were dishing out abuse for not penalising Accrington's defenders for some allegedly 'rough' tactics, but on the flip side, Kwame Thomas escaped punishment for giving one of their players a bloody nose.
In some ways, it's a relief that he oversaw a pretty nondescript game at this stage of the season and might not now officiate either team later in the season - where tensions are higher, the stakes are cranked up and the pressure is on.
I'd certainly be happy if I never saw him again!
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