Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 4-1 Burton Albion (U18s)

Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 4-1 Burton Albion (U18s)
Football League Youth Alliance
Saturday 31st August 2019

This was a comfortable win in the end for Doncaster Rovers' youth team thanks to a stunning second half performance which saw talisman Jack Watson bag all four goals.

Rovers controlled the game for large periods and had plenty of possession, yet at half-time there was cause for concern as Burton Albion led, somewhat fortuitously, and the lads had struggled to fashion many clear-cut opportunities to equalise.

Then, birthday boy Will McGowan and Lirak Hasani - both absolutely superb in the middle, began to pull the strings to brilliant effect and Watson grabbed a hat-trick in the space of eight minutes, prior to converting again late on to send Burton home empty handed.

Altogether, it means Rovers stay top of the FLYA (North East Division) table, unbeaten in their first five games and confidence will, quite rightly, be sky high.

With a return to league action following the win over Rotherham United in the FLYA Cup last time out, Under 18s boss Paul Stancliffe opted to shuffle his pack and go with a 4-3-3 formation; making two changes to the starting line-up. Midfielder Charlie Bell, who went off injured in the aforementioned cup win, was replaced by Hasani and frontman Evan Howard came into the line-up, replacing Max Jemson.

Both Luca Nelson and Josh Clemitson were named amongst the substitutes for the first time this season as well.

At kick-off, the weather was decent enough with sunshine in the skies above.

However, it was the visitors who made the brighter start and they opened the scoring with the first meaningful opportunity before the quarter-hour mark.

Rovers 'keeper Ben Bottomley will no doubt know he should have done much better as he spilled a near-post cross from the byline straight into the path of an attacker who was only to happy to turn the ball goalwards.

The Brewers looked decent enough in the early stages and, though they weren't able to get in-behind or create clear-cut openings, they did catch another glimpse of goal when a speculative low shot-on-the-turn from 25 yards drifted a few inches wide of the target.

Bottomley then gathered a long shot to restore some confidence but at the other end, whilst Rovers played their usual fluid, quick, passing game which is a pleasure to watch, on too many occasions in the first half, the 'killer ball' was lacking.

Twice Watson got in good positions inside the area but was unfortunate in the respect that the ball wouldn't fall kindly for him to allow for a shot. McGowan and Liam Ravenhill saw a few attempts drift high and wide, whilst Junior Smith was unlucky on another occasion.

Lewis Cunningham, ever-present at left-back so far this term, also over-hit a cross towards a crowded area around the midway point of the first period - which sort of summed up Rovers' frustrations as the ball drifted out of play for a goal-kick.

Nevertheless, the boys had begun to get on top, dictate play and were having more possession than their opponents from Staffordshire.

Eventually, two good chances came to pass before half-time as Smith was slipped through inside the area for a clear-cut opening, but his subsequent attempt was blocked by Burton's keeper at his near-post.

Then, just before half-time whistle, Rovers had a huge shout for a penalty turned down.

Watson slalomed his way into the box with some superb footwork in which he put three defenders on their backsides but with a sight of goal he couldn't just get a shot away in time. A few seconds later, he went to ground following a heavy challenge and though it seemed a blatant penalty from the sidelines, the referee - in a good position a few yards away, waved play on.

At half-time, three things were obvious; the big man (Evan Howard) needed to influence things much more, the final ball into the strikers had to better, but also, if the boys continued to keep possession, chances would eventually come.

Around 10 minutes after the re-start, not long after the skies had turned a gloomy-looking grey colour and there'd been a few spots of rain, Watson provided a shining light.

The talisman got possession on the outside edge of the area, around 20-25 yards out, looked up and hit a sumptuous strike which sailed into the top corner - one of those strikes that you could tell was destined for the top corner as soon as it left his foot.

McGowan's celebration told the story; raising arms aloft as if to say 'That is absolutely quality!'

Buoyed by being back on level terms, the lads continued to play on the front foot, get the ball down and play quite a bit through the middle in an effort to cause danger.

On the hour mark, things got even better for Rovers!

In another quality move, McGowan picked up possession out wide on the left channel, turned brilliantly to take three defenders out the game, and delivered a teasing ball towards the edge of the six-yard box where Watson stooped low to place a perfect header beyond the goalkeeper's dive and into the bottom-right corner.

The frustrations which Rovers harboured at times in the first half were now felt by Burton and a little over 60 seconds later, the game was over as a contest as Watson completed his hat-trick.

McGowan produced another piece of artistry - distributing a sublime long pass for his team-mate to chase. Yet again, Watson showed great technique as he opened up his body to receive the pass, got goal side and threaded another shot past the keeper and into the net.

At 3-1 up, the boys were now flying and it wasn't long before Nelson came on for Howard to support Watson on the front-line.

With a quarter of the game remaining, Rovers should have bagged a fourth goal in a counter-attack move which, with the Burton defence stretched wide apart, culminated when Smith saw a shot smothered from a tight angle. However, if the speedy attacker had looked up and not gone for goal himself, both Nelson and Watson were waiting in the middle for what would have been the simplest of tap-ins.

Burton did have a few spells of pressure 'here and there' and won the odd free-kick, but there was simply no way past Hasani, nor the centre-back pairing of captain Ben Blythe and Nathan Dimou just behind him.

Watson was outstanding though, and the 17-year-old soon netted again to make it 4-1 - and kill of any faint hopes which Burton may have had about launching a comeback. For this goal, Smith did well on the byline and this time cut the ball back for Watson to smash into the net from close-range.

Rovers were now in complete control and sought further goals. Watson, remarkably, would have had a fifth goal had his thunderbolt 30-yard strike not whistled just inches over, McGowan curled one over the top too, and Nelson was unlucky with a separate effort.

Burton clipped the post from a free-kick late on after Jemson, off the bench, was penalised for a foul in a dangerous position and in injury-time, Bottomley made a save from a long-range shot.

In reflection, Rovers were definitely worthy winners and overcame frustrations to get the job done and bag the points. When questions were put to them and they were 'up against it' having conceded early on, the boys showed that extra quality to reply with great effect.

Burton should count themselves unfortunate that they came up against such decent opposition as they had some tricky players. Had they been able to stifle play a bit more and not allowed Rovers to have much more possession, they may well have been able to take something back to the Pirelli Stadium to show for their efforts.

Individually, Jack Watson's four goals speaks for itself and he's clearly in his groove and on top form right now - so long may it continue! Even if he hadn't scored, his technique and movement at times today was brilliant and he's a handful for any defender in the FLYA.

Will McGowan and Lirak Hasani were like 'Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet' at times in terms of artistry, getting the team going, dictating play and there's so many positives to write home about for those two as well.

As mentioned already, defensively, Ben Blythe and Nathan Dimou have a seemingly solid partnership and they look comfortable and compliment each other well. Today, whilst they weren't tested quite as much as when Rotherham United rocked up in successive weeks, their understanding was clear to see.

Lewis Cunningham and Elliott Walker had relatively quiet games in the full-back positions as most of the attacks came through the middle. They've both established themselves as regulars over the past month and what they offer to the team has been better demonstrated in previous games.

Goalkeeper Ben Bottomley made an undoubted error for the opening goal and he'll be as thankful as anyone that the boys were able to turn things around and get the win. He should have held, or even punched the ball clear, but it didn't happen and it resulted in a goal. It's a mistake though, it happens, and I hope he doesn't dwell on it.

Junior Smith had an eye-catching display (of sorts) and what was noticeable was on a few occasions, he dropped back to help the team out - this from very early on in the game. His pace, as always, can cause problems and he got an assist. Occasionally, he can be indifferent/unpredictable and get caught offside too often, but he should have no qualms about his work this morning.

Liam Ravenhill was involved in quite a few moves going forward and what he probably needs more than anything is one of his attempts to fly in. It'll only boost his confidence when it does!

In the last of the starting xi was Evan Howard. A big tall frontman, he played in the middle of a three-pronged attack during his hour or so on the pitch yet he didn't impact things too much contrasted to Luca Nelson who came on for 25 minutes and run, worked and absolutely chased after everything.

Of the other substitutes, it was good to see Josh Clemitson get his first few minutes this year and he was involved in a few 'bits and pieces' and he'll no doubt get more game-time as the season progresses.

Max Jemson and Alek Wolny both enjoyed five-minute cameos, which wasn't really enough time to make a significant impact. Nevertheless, Jemson did earn himself a telling off from the referee after being penalised for a foul.

So, on the whole, a good result and the positives with this team far outweigh any negatives. They're five unbeaten, top of the table, scoring goals, playing well, have an 'identity' about their play - so you can't really ask for much more!

Team: Ben Bottomley, Lewis Cunningham, Ben Blythe (c), Nathan Dimou (Max Jemson), Elliott Walker (Josh Clemitson), Lirak Hasani, Will McGowan, Liam Ravenhill, Jack Watson, Evan Howard (Luca Nelson), Junior Smith (Alex Wolny). Unused Sub: Kian Johnson.

Fulham 0-1 Southampton

Fulham 0-1 Southampton
Carabao Cup
Tuesday 27th August 2019

An overnight trip to London on 'other business' coupled with it being Carabao Cup Second Round night meant only one result - a trip to the football!

There were plenty of options to pick from. One was at Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace hosted Colchester United; another was in the 'Special Fares' zone at the end of the Metropolitan Line where Watford met Coventry City.

However, in the end, a trip to Craven Cottage for the first time in just over eight years where Fulham hosted top flight Southampton was too good to turn down.

The Cottagers had slashed ticket prices to just £15 (or less in 'Restricted View' areas - which is practically every seat). As they usually charge astronomical amounts for Football League fixtures and there was a very good chance they could be eliminated from the cup on this night, I wasn't ever really going to go elsewhere.

At present (and for the next couple of seasons), Craven Cottage is a three-sided ground as the club have chosen in their wisdom to redevelop the Riverside Stand. Seemingly, it's been done to capitalise on potential income that corporate/hospitality areas will bring and it will increase the capacity - not that many games here will actually sell-out for a variety of different reasons.

On the pitch, since Claudio Ranieri tinkered with things and flopped in Fulham's battle for survival last season, he's been succeeded by Scott Parker who has implemented a 'total football' philosophy of pass, pass, pass and keeping passing.

It worked when the Whites spanked Millwall, 4-0, last week, but against Premier League opponents in Southampton, it rarely looked like working as too many passes went astray or were in completely ineffective areas that were never going to cause problems.

Fulham, to their credit, did begin alright though and with a shade of good fortune they would have registered an early lead when Bobby Reid's curling free-kick ricocheted off the woodwork towards Cyrus Christie who saw his rebound attempt tipped onto the crossbar by Alex McCarthy.

The Saints slowly began to get more a foothold in the game and with boss Ralph Hasenhuttl naming a strong side, their quality began to shine as they started to create chances of their own in the build-up to half-time but were unable to take any.

I've said several times previously that 'playing out from the back' - that daft philosophy which has, unfortunately, caught on over the past decade since Pep Guardiola implemented it, causes problems for yourselves and twice, after the re-start, the hosts did this and it nearly proved costly.

Whilst I accept it can work, it only needs one stray pass (as happened), a poor touch (as happened) or to be closed down in a tight spot and suddenly you're in danger. On the whole, this tactic has more negatives than positives and the 'old school' philosophy of 'clear the f**king thing' is quite simply lost on some modern day footballers.

Eventually, having started to dominate proceedings, Southampton made their pressure pay when Nathan Redmond's left-wing cross was volleyed home by Michael Obafemi from close-range, just prior to the hour mark.

Even though both Redmond and Obafemi were later substituted with injury worries, it didn't stop Hasenhuttl's side from pressing for a second goal and spurning some glorious one-on-one chances which would have killed off any lingering hopes of a comeback.

Fulham were indebted to their goalkeeper, Marek Rodak, who twice thwarted Danny Ings, whilst Maya Yoshida also went close. Ex-Reading frontman Shane Long couldn't bag a goal in yet another attack in the closing quarter-of-an-hour or so which, remarkably, didn't end in a second goal.

If the Londoners had equalised then Southampton would have only had themselves to blame because of just how many opportunities they spurned, but an equaliser never looked very likely.

The Saints support were creating all the noise, singing and dancing by the final whistle, and I can only imagine their reaction when they heard the news about the mouth-watering Third Round clash which awaits at local rivals Portsmouth.

On the whole, this wasn't the best game, but probably the best way to revisit a club which I find to be quite strange and have little respect for folk.

Fulham pride themselves on being 'the old club down by the River Thames' and because of the history of Craven Cottage as well, they seemingly thrive on that small club image.

However, they do themselves no favours in the likeability test when it comes to ticket prices - which are absolutely ridiculous! When they got promoted to the Premier League less than 18 months ago, matchday prices went up significantly and they've been more or less maintained now they're back in the second tier.

In a couple of weeks, they play West Bromwich Albion live on Sky Sports, yet they're still charging £45 for hundreds of seats situated behind supporting pillars, blocking the goal/goalmouth and it's utterly ridiculous! A decade ago, they were charging similar when they hosted Juventus (amongst others) en route to reaching the Europa League Final.

Even with inflation, extortion and stretching the imagination somewhat, £45 to watch a televised game in the Championship is ridiculous and WBA never have been, nor ever will be, on a par with Juventus. Just ask Enzo Maresca!

Given what's happened at Bury in the past few days, Sky Sports' effect on football has come in for more criticism than usual but when clubs charge silly amounts for tickets and price folk out of going to games, it's hardly a surprise when Sky Sports subscriptions sky rocket!

Nevertheless, at least that statue of Michael Jackson has long-since disappeared from outside the ground...

Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Lincoln City

Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Lincoln City
Sky Bet League One
Saturday 24th August 2019

Another week and another three points - it's safe to say that, at this moment in time, things are going pretty well for Doncaster Rovers.

Niall Ennis and Jon Taylor bagged the goals, either side of Jorge Grant's equaliser just before the hour mark, in this victory over Lincoln City which means Darren Moore's side remain unbeaten in Sky Bet League One.

On balance, a draw would have probably been a fair result.

Donny dominated the opening 45 minutes with Ennis putting in an outstanding display and torturing his marker, Michael Bostwick, at times.

The Imps then had the lions share of possession and pressure after the re-start; equalising through Grant, and were on top prior to Taylor's late 'bolt from the blue' in the closing stages.

Lincoln's managerial 'double act' - Danny and Nicky Cowley, were as animated as usual on the touchline in their efforts to try and influence officials and they copped for plenty of stick from Rovers fans in the West Stand who didn't take too kindly to their style.

Nevertheless, having seen them on numerous occasions previously, they were quite tame compared to other occasions where they've been up and down like a yo-yo for the full game and I'm glad they're now at a level where they're fulfilling the potential which they had several years back when they were at Concord Rangers.

Anyway, it was a blistering hot day for the Imps' first visit to the Keepmoat Stadium in over a decade and the visitors were backed by a near-full away end.

Lincoln started well and had plenty of early possession but Rovers made the breakthrough with a goal pretty much out of nothing as Ennis twisted and turned to peel off Bostwick's shoulder and reach Ian Lawlor's long downfield clearance, before unleashing a thunderbolt shot into the top corner.

There wasn't a great deal the visiting goalkeeper could do about it and it punctured the enthusiasm of the 3,000 visiting fans who'd been in full voice in the early minutes.

Almost immediately, the goal changed the momentum and Rovers began to get a firmer foothold in the game - moving the ball about better and pressing forward more.

Ennis constantly posed a threat and left poor old Bostwick trailing around the midway point in the first half, when he out-paced the ex-Peterborough man to reach of a floated pass, though the move came to nothing.

Eventually after plenty of possession-play in and around the visitors' area, Imps' keeper Josh Vickers was called into action just before half-time when Cameron John's header caught a wicked deflection to take it goalwards - only for Vickers to somehow instinctively react and palm it over the woodwork.

From the resulting corner, Ennis received a yellow card after he hauled down an opponent with a 'rugby tackle' challenge - one which definitely fits into the category of taking one for the team! If he hadn't have done it, the Imps would have been in a perfect position to quickly counter-attack.

At the other end, Lincoln's threat was very sporadic in the first 45 minutes.

Ben Whiteman charged down a potentially dangerous free-kick on the half-hour mark and a series of corners had to be defended well.

It was evident at the half-time break that last seasons League Two winners needed to 'up their game' and the fact they came out two or three minutes late for the second half suggests the Cowley brothers had some harsh words to say in the dressing room.

Nevertheless, whatever was said worked (to an extent) as Lincoln were the better team in the second half.

On 50 minutes, Grant flashed a low shot wide following a good bit of play by Harry Anderson as the Imps were now attacking towards their own supporters in the North Stand.

Seven minutes later, the visitors were celebrating as Grant equalised with the simplest of finishes - peeling off the shoulder of his marker at the back-post to get on the end a long right-wing cross and tap home.

At this point, momentum shifted towards Lincoln yet over the next 20-25 minutes (and despite introducing John Akinde who I saw numerous times in his Alfreton Town days), they weren't able to fashion any clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.

The Imps did also introduce Bruno Andrade for Tyler Walker - not the former first-year professional at Rovers who is now playing non-league; instead the one on loan from Nottingham Forest who missed in the play-off semi-final penalty shoot-out for Mansfield Town last season.

Despite plenty of possession, their best effort was probably when Bostwick got forward but fired harmlessly wide of the target with around a quarter-hour remaining.

However, they did win two dangerous free-kicks in very similar positions, close to the byline on opposite sides of the penalty area. Rovers got lucky with the awarding of the second of these as someone was penalised for blatant and obvious shirt-pulling on Andrade and it looked very close as to whether he was inside the area or not.

Anyway, on both occasions, an in-swinging delivery towards the back-post area was probably what was needed - yet the first was played short and backwards for a shot, which Lawlor saved with absolute routine ease, whilst the second was an out-swinger that was comfortably defended by the home side.

It proved crucial as within two minutes , Rovers went down the other end and bagged what proved to be the winner.

Kazaiah Sterling, on as a substitute, did brilliantly to beat Jason Shackell and win the ball back in a dangerous position before his initial attempt was parried back to him by Vickers which allowed the young loanee to cross into a crowded six-yard box from where Taylor poked home.

It was out of the blue as it was Donny's first major effort of the second period and pretty harsh on Lincoln, but if you don't take chances or make poor attacking decisions at set-plays, etc, then a side will always leave themselves susceptible to not taking the point(s) which a performance might merit.

Afterwards, Cowley stated he believed Lincoln were the better side and, whilst I wouldn't quite go that far, he does have some good players at his disposal at Sincil Bank and they'll do alright in their first season at this higher level.

As for Rovers, they've got fortuitous again today to get all three points but there's plenty of promise and the defence looked a lot more stable than at times in last week's 'topsy-turvy' tie with Fleetwood.

Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 3-1 Rotherham United (U18s)

Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 3-1 Rotherham United (U18s)
Football League Youth Alliance Cup
Friday 23rd August 2019

Two goals by Junior Smith and a clinical finish from Jack Watson ensured Doncaster Rovers' youngsters made the perfect start to the weekend with a richly deserved 3-1 victory over Rotherham United in the Football League Youth Alliance Cup.

In boiling hot sunshine, this was a much-improved performance by the lads after their scrappy 2-2 draw with the Millers at Cantley Park, six days ago.

Credit must go to Under 18s chief Paul Stancliffe and his coaching staff for recognising what went wrong last time out, changing formation and ultimately reaping the rewards of the evident work that's been put in at the training ground over the past week.

Today, Rovers won more second balls, played on the front foot, were clinical and posed plenty of danger with their delightful passing play.

Stancliffe made three changes to his starting line-up as goalkeeper Ben Bottomley and midfielder Charlie Bell both came into the line-up for Kian Johnson and Ethan Bojang.

Max Jemson's inclusion for his first start of the campaign, replacing Lirak Hasani, meant a tactical switch to three-at-the-back in an effort to negate the aerial presence of Rotherham's attackers who enjoyed a fair amount of success with their direct style in the last meeting.

Again, the lads were forced to wear their away strip to avoid a potential kit clash.

Rovers began as brightly as the blazing sunshine in the blue skies above; keeping the ball on the deck, and their early dominance took under five minutes to pay off with Liam Ravenhill piercing the Millers' defence with a low through ball towards Smith who slotted beyond the advancing 'keeper.

Even in the infancy of the game, the lads looked much composed and in control of proceedings than at any point last Saturday and they soon nearly bagged a second goal when the visiting goalkeeper flapped at Elliott Walker's right-wing cross and parried it straight onto Will McGowan's head, before it eventually went wide of the target.

Walker, who also had an early knock, was already wreaking havoc down the right side and on the quarter-hour mark it was 2-0. This time, the second-year scholar put a pin-point cross into the area which was met first time by Watson's right-boot for a perfectly-executed sweeping finish.

The Millers' biggest threat, unsurprisingly, was from set-plays and long balls and Rovers soon had Bottomley to thank for protecting the early two-goal cushion.

A left-sided corner was flicked on and the ball ricocheted off the back post and across the goal-line at chest height towards Bottomley who instinctively punched the ball away, before the defence was eventually able to clear their lines.

Even though Rotherham hadn't offered much up to this point, it was a pretty big let off and a sign that they were more than capable of getting a goal.

The visitors had a decent spell of pressure, albeit without creating much, over a ten-minute period prior to the half-hour mark.

Only once did they catch sight of goal when Bottomley accidentally shanked an attempted clearance straight to an opponent, but McGowan was quickly on-hand to get goal-side and block any potential for a shot goalwards.

The Millers made a tactical change following a drinks break - evidently tactical as the forward player who was substituted went sprinting to the touchline so he couldn't have been injured.

On 36 minutes, Bottomley was called into action again when he saved a low drive from the edge of the area, but Rovers ended the half positively and on the front foot with McGowan flashing a shot wide and plenty of good, sharp, incisive and passing play inside their opponents' half.

The lads continued in the same vein in the early minutes after the re-start and nearly had a third goal to show for their efforts as Walker put another good cross into the danger zone, albeit just a couple of yards behind Watson, who had to re-adjust his body position and was unlucky to head over the woodwork with his subsequent attempt.

Bell was instrumental in another attack a few minutes later; distributing a brilliant ball towards Cunningham on the left channel from midway inside the Rotherham half. Lewis Cunningham then laid the ball off to Ravenhill, who saw a shot blocked, but the way Rovers were keeping the ball was a delight - and again, in contrast to the bitty, scrappy affair of the previous week.

A few minutes later, Bell's afternoon came to a premature end as he went off injured and needed to be replaced by Hasani.

Eager to get back into things, the Millers slowly began to get a better foothold and apply more pressure - knowing a goal would probably alter the course of the game.

On 67 minutes, they very nearly halved the deficit as some confusion between Jemson and Bottomley in dealing with a ball over the top resulted in a corner.

From the subsequent set-piece delivery, another flick on reached the back-post area (not too dissimilar from how they hit the post in the first half) and Rovers' backline had to frantically scramble the ball out of their own six-yard box.

Eventually, Walker made a long clearance and it immediately caused problems at the opposite end as Rotherham's keeper rushed from his line, yet the bounce of the ball eluded him and he could only get the faintest of touches to knock the ball towards Smith, who directed a header into the empty net.

Whilst they may not be the best side in terms of footballing ability, the 3-0 scoreline was harsh on the visitors and their height advantage/style of play will cause other sides problems throughout the campaign.

The Millers did get a consolation on 71 minutes when their No.8 (whose name I'd love to say, but there weren't any team sheets available) smashed a powerful drive into the net from 20 yards.

With a quarter-of-an-hour to go and with the visitors knowing that another goal would set-up a grandstand finale, there was a 'hold your breath' moment as a long ball forward caught out Nathan Dimou and a Rotherham striker to get through.

The centre-back desperately tried to get back and narrow the angle for a shot, whilst Bottomley was quick off his line, and eventually the goalkeeper smothered a low effort to protect Rovers' two goal cushion.

Ethan Bojang replaced Cunningham in the latter stages and added a calming presence in midfield, alongside Hasani and McGowan who, together with the rest of the team, did their best in running the clock down and stifle any momentum that the opposition was desperately trying to build.

Bojang nearly made it 4-1 when McGowan's corner skimmed off his head and drifted away from goal on 80 minutes, whilst Dimou had to make a crucial hooked clearance off the line in the final few minutes as Rotherham pressed up to the whistle for a route back into proceedings.

In reflection, and as stated already, the win was well-deserved by the lads who are now four games unbeaten since the season began and they certainly look capable of doing alright this term.

There were also some impressive individual performances today.

Ravenhill, from the outset, was putting himself about, pressing and his assist for the opening goal was clever, cute and well-crafted. He should be pleased with his afternoons work, especially given the ridiculous heat, and it's probably his best of the season.

Junior Smith took his goals well and put in a decent showing over the 90 minutes. Jack Watson was strong, hard-working and effective as ever going forward and, having scored for the third successive game, nobody can have any complaints there.

Defensively, there were moments 'here and there' which caused worry and led to chances - which I'm sure none of them need reminding about, though on the whole Max Jemson, Nathan Dimou and Ben Blythe should be pleased. It's worth remembering they were up against a big, strong front-line from Rotherham who, because of the players which they have, will always be direct so it was never going to be smooth or plain sailing in that respect.

It was always going to be a battle and the boys won that battle. For evidence just look at the final score - that's what matters!

The same pretty much applies to Ben Bottomley. He made one error with a shanked clearance - it happens; and he atoned for it with some good saves at different points - none more so than the smothering one late on, when a second Rotherham goal would have really put the cat amongst the pigeons.

On the flanks, Lewis Cunningham and Elliott Walker were as positive as usual in their play, linked up well with others, posed a threat and showed consistency over the 90 minutes. Walker, more so, put a number of great balls into the box and if he can keep that up for the rest of the season, then he's going to get a lot of assists.

In midfield, Charlie Bell did well (and surprisingly didn't get a talking to by the referee this week). He stifled play at times, distributed some good balls and it was unfortunate that he ended up having to go off injured as he'd only a few minutes earlier orchestrated a good, sweeping, free-flowing move.

Will McGowan was always talking to others and ensuring focus and standards remained high throughout the game and he's already demonstrated, particularly in the opening game of the season, what he can offer to the side.

From the substitutes bench, Lirak Hasani took a few minutes to adjust and along with Ethan Bojang, who was a very calming influence in his 15-minute or so cameo, they can be happy.

After his few minutes at Notts County a fortnight back, the Under 16s' Aleks Wolny also made another brief appearance late on. Whilst only a few minutes, introducing him used to this level; where he'll hopefully play over the next couple of years - assuming he earns a scholarship, can certainly be no bad thing.

So, all in all, a very positive afternoon of hard-work, graft, fine tactics and good football resulted in an impressive, well-deserved win.

Next up is Burton Albion on Saturday 31st August when the lads will be back in the red and white hooped shirts as opposed to the away kit.

Team: Ben Bottomley, Lewis Cunningham (Ethan Bojang), Max Jemson, Ben Blythe (C), Nathan Dimou, Elliott Walker, Charlie Bell (Lirak Hasani), Will McGowan, Junior Smith (Alex Wolny), Liam Ravenhill, Jack Watson. Unused Subs: Kian Johnson.

MOTM: Elliott Walker - two assists, posed a threat and a very good performance.