Who let John Parr loose?

It's been said many times that football and music fit together perfectly and quite often it's true - unless, however, it's ageing crooner John Parr who has been left to produce the tunes!

Ahead of the move to the Keepmoat Stadium midway through the 2006/07 campaign, the one-hit wonder who grew up in Doncaster and found fame with St Elmo's Fire saw it as the perfect time to launch a career comeback.

People wonder why they can't sell things on eBay when this signed John Parr 'Walking Out Of The Darkness' CD is currently priced at £15.

It was most probably Rovers' success over the previous year which inspired his sudden return from the wilderness after a 20-year absence and the title of his song 'Walking Out Of The Darkness' was just as fitting for him personally as it was for the Football Club, who'd battled long and hard for the best part of two decades to move into a fit-for-purpose 'modern' stadium.

There was plenty of fanfare about the release of the single. Beforehand, it was dubbed as being a tune which could be adopted as an anthem by supporters and used forevermore. Liverpool have 'You'll Never Walk Alone', Leeds United have Marching On Together - so why couldn't Doncaster Rovers have an anthem too?

The king of sore throat's comeback made headlines on Calendar News and was also featured on Doncaster Rovers' club website. Parr even arranged a visit to HMV in the Frenchgate Centre (who needs Meadowhall?) to do an extra-special live performance of his new hit in the weeks leading up to the stadium move and whilst social media was very much in its infancy, the song was strongly promoted on MySpace!

Surely it would be a success? Surely? 

Of course it wouldn't!

Walking Out Of The Darkness achieved a 'peak' position in the UK singles charts of No.155 - the football equivalent of competing to win the Premier League but ending up in the Evo-Stik League alongside Bamber Bridge, Nantwich and Mickleover.

In fairness, there was some stiff competition at the time as 'Patience' by Take That and 'A Moment Like This' by Leona Lewis were jostling for Number One spot, whilst Nelly Furtado, Amy Winehouse and Justin Timberlake were all performing strongly.

But there was some crap in the charts too. Crazy Frog, who bore more than a striking resemblance to my old I.T. teacher, was in 62nd spot, whilst Ricky Tomlinson's delightfully festive hit titled 'Christmas My Ar*e' was 98th.

Quite honestly though when a fat bloke who used to be on Brookside manages to get 57 places above you, irrespective of the time of year, it's probably time to stop writing songs, forget about a comeback and just retire gracefully!

The song didn't inspire Rovers' players either. Although the first game at the Keepmoat ended in a 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town, it was subsequently followed up by a 4-0 whopping from Bolton Wanderers (at the time managed by Sam Allardyce) in the FA Cup, with the visitors in absolute cruise control by the half-hour mark.

The team, nevertheless, did reach the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final three months later - by which point Walking Out Of The Darkness had very much been left in the darkness - consigned to the history books, forgotten, disposed of, and never to be played over the PA system on matchdays ever again!

Armthorpe Welfare 1-1 Rossington Main

Armthorpe Welfare 1-1 Rossington Main
Northern Counties East League (Division One)
Saturday 26th December 2020

Jason Stokes' dramatic last-minute equaliser earned Rossington Main a hard-fought point in the first 'Donny Derby' of the season against Armthorpe Welfare.

In a sometimes scrappy but feisty Boxing Day clash which warmed the appetite on a freezing cold afternoon, a draw was probably a fair reflection of what unfolded given that hosts Armthorpe certainly enjoyed the better chances whilst visitors Rossington undoubtedly played the neater football.

Skipper Steve Garner put Welfare ahead with a looping finish on 65 minutes and, with momentum fully in their favour, they thought they'd made it 2-0 soon afterwards when Luke Hinsley pounced upon a defensive error to put the ball in the net only to be penalised for handball.

That lengthy incident left the visitors with just a one-goal deficit to chase and, after Adam Watson was red carded for a second bookable offence, Stokes popped up right at the end of normal time when he smashed home a half-volley from just inside the box to spark contrasting emotions in the two dugouts; pure joy for Rossington but anguish for Armthorpe.

On a different pitch it may well have been a different scoreline. Had Rozzo been more threatening in the final third and not over-complicated things too many times, they could have perhaps snatched derby day bragging rights. By contrast, had Welfare not squandered two or three gilt-edged openings which fell their way, maybe they could have been victorious instead.

All in all, there was plenty for both teams to be happy about. The desire, endeavour and commitment levels was certainly there amongst most players although there is also plenty to ponder ahead of the next 'Donny Derby' meeting which is scheduled for Easter Saturday.

As to be expected after both teams were royally thumped last time out - Armthorpe on home soil to Winterton and Rossington at Swallownest, there were a plethora of changes in both camps as they looked to bag a late Christmas present.

One of the new faces in Rozzo's line-up was Conner Williamson who was making his debut having rejoined the club from Armthorpe only a few weeks ago.

The game started with the visitors, donning an all red strip, setting the early tone and Bailey 'Mascher' Conway went close with a speculative low drive from distance which drew a comfortable enough save from Welfare 'keeper Jordan Greaves.

After another drive by the youngster was off-target soon afterwards, Armthorpe forced Rozzo 'keeper Kian Johnson (who started ahead of regular shot-stopper Callum Fielding) into action for the first time when someone rose highest inside a crowded box to get a header on target, but the 18-year-old got down well to make a quick and important save.

The pitch certainly wasn't the best surface as it's uneven and bobbly nature hardly paved the way for free-flowing or quality football, but in between quite a few scrappy exchanges, Main were playing some tidy stuff with Manny Kianga on the right flank being amongst the brightest sparks though he often struggled to produce an end product.

Rozzo's chief talisman Tyla Bell could have done better with a chance just past the half-hour mark when he let fly with a 20-yard effort after some decent play, but unfortunately for him the ball lacked accuracy and flew wide of the 'keepers left-hand post.

Armthorpe's new manager Lee Morris looked as if he'd been an early-morning visitor to Matalan's Boxing Day sales with the questionable gear he was decked out in on the touchline, but whilst the fashion police may have wanted to question him about his clobber, his team were left to rue some criminal finishing which meant the score was goalless at the break.

The hosts should have gone 1-0 ahead on 40 minutes when a far-post corner was met with a free header from only five yards, but sadly the connection was all wrong and the ball went high and wide of the post - leaving Johnson untroubled when he really ought to have been tested.

Welfare then 'upped the ante' in the immediate minutes following the re-start but they squandered another glorious opportunity to break the deadlock when a frontman got in-behind and hit a powerful 20-yard drive which flew over the upright when the least he should have tested the 'keeper at least.

Rossington then responded with a dominant ten-minute spell during which they knocked the ball around well and were camped in their opponents' half of the pitch - forcing Armthorpe to concentrate on their defensive duties. After a prolonged passing exchange, Stokes hit a shot which drew a routine enough save whilst in another move, Williamson also went close.

What the game really needed by this point was a goal and on 64 minutes, it finally happened as Armthorpe, having soaked up the pressure, took the lead.

A left-footed corner towards the back-post area was cleared out of the six-yard box comfortably enough but with Rossington's defence completely static thereafter, Garner, with his back to goal, looped the resulting loose mid-air ball goalwards from eight yards and his effort flew past Johnson.

The young 'keeper could have perhaps done better but so could the defence - it was an avoidable goal in so many ways but nobody in the home hierarchy cared as they celebrated together in the knowledge they'd taken a very significant step towards derby day success.

To use a football cliché, goals change games and with Rozzo looking rattled by having slipped behind, it wasn't long until the hosts had the ball in the back of the net again.

A poor attempted defensive header by a visiting centre-back, under little pressure, fell horribly into the path of an unmarked Hinsley who controlled the ball and smashed it emphatically into the net from the edge of the box to spark more celebrations.

The hosts thought it was 2-0 but with Armthorpe's manager already fist-pumping on the pitch in celebration, his joy soon turned to rage as the linesman and referee consulted amidst appeals for a handball and the goal was eventually (albeit correctly) chalked off after a minute's or so delay, with Hinsley adjudged to handled it before unleashing his goalbound strike.

The reason for the delay, according to the linesman - in his own words, was because he wasn't allowed to signal it shouldn't count or raise his flag until after the ball had gone in - even though not doing so caused frustration/arguments aplenty!

With Rozzo having been spared a mountain to climb, they started to get on top against a tiring home defence and Bell again should have done better in a big chance for equaliser. Despite a perfectly-timed run when he latched onto a defence-splitting clearance by Jordan Buckham - and then getting the better of the oncoming 'keeper who was caught in no man's land - a covering defender did just enough to put the forward off and his eventual effort was blocked and cleared away.

The reds' pressure continued, with winger Cameron Barnett (finally back from suspension!) replacing Kianga for the final quarter-hour, whilst Stokes went close with a curling effort only a few moments later as it started to look as though Armthorpe may hold on. Niall Doran, who'd had a largely frustrating game - sometimes holding onto the ball for a bit too long despite his technical ability, also started to have more of an influence around this point in proceedings.

However, the writing appeared to be on the wall for Rossington with just over five minutes to play when Watson, who'd been pushed from defence to attack, was shown a second yellow card for a late lunge. Though he made no connection with anyone, the referee had a good view of the incident to decide that the intent was there, it was dangerous play and enough to give him his marching orders. Adam Baskerville was also cautioned in the subsequent 'handbags' which followed the lunge.

More frustration occurred as Barnett couldn't keep alive what initially seemed to be a promising move down the right flank but with injury-time imminent, Rossington got back on level terms.

Another right-wing cross caused panic and problems amongst Welfare's defence (who'd otherwise kept their shape pretty well during the game) and after Bell swung a boot to try and get an attempt away, the ball was knocked backwards into the path of Stokes who rifled an emphatic half-volley into the roof of the net.

Anguished looks were on the faces of the home management team who knew they'd been close to securing a hard-fought win and it contrasted with scenes of delight by Rossington's travelling entourage dotted about across the ground.

Five minutes of stoppage-time ultimately culminated in no further goals but everyone amongst the 150-strong crowd (plus the few souls who were watching from Morrisons car park) had been thoroughly entertained by two teams who put a good shift in.

Again, the effort, heart, desire and endeavour was there amongst the majority of players though you could only wonder what might have been if, for example, the visitors had the injured Jack Watson in attack or if the game had been on a different surface more suited to their technical ability.

Armthorpe, likewise, would almost certainly have gone on to win had their disallowed effort not been ruled out by the linesman and, despite playing against a technically better side, they shouldn't be too disheartened by the end result.

Next up: Who knows?

When Rovers were last Christmas Number One...

With Doncaster Rovers knowing a win over Shrewsbury Town tonight will fire them to the top of the League One table for Christmas Day, here's a timely flashback to the last time a Rovers squad were in pole position during the festive season...

Doncaster Rovers 3-1 Swansea City

Nationwide Division Three

Friday 19th December 2003

Before a ball was even kicked in the 2003/04 campaign, if you listened to pundits and bookmakers alike then Doncaster Rovers were expected to be battling to avoid relegation.

Recently promoted back to the Football League after a 3-2 victory over Dagenham & Redbridge in the inaugural Football Conference (now National League) Play-Offs, Dave Penney's team were hardly expected to make any sort of impression.

Seven weeks into the new campaign and, despite an opening day success in the sunshine at Leyton Orient, the critics were being proven right as Donny found themselves languishing in the lower regions of the early-season Division Three table.

A sudden turnaround in fortunes, let alone a promotion push, seemed improbable but fast-forward three mesmerising months during which Rovers took an incredible 34 points from 13 games, and they went into this Friday night fixture with Swansea City knowing that a win would propel them to the summit for the first time all season.

It wasn't a convincing or vintage performance by any means - and those in read and white hoops were indebted to Andy Warrington who pulled off a superb diving save in the first minute to deny Andy Robinson, but in the end, they still had more than enough to send the Swans back to South Wales empty handed.

Michael McIndoe converted an 11th minute penalty infront of the Town End, awarded after Alan Tate was penalised for handball, to put Rovers on course for top spot before Paul Green made it 2-0 when he scooped a shot home from loanee JJ Melligan's right-sided cross.

Swansea gradually worked their way back into things with Robinson eventually on target with around a quarter-of-an-hour remaining but despite their incessant late pressure, Greg Blundell got the last goal of the evening in injury-time when he was put through by John Doolan and finished with aplomb.

Tina Turner's 'Simply The Best' never sounded better as the 6,500-strong crowd trudged out of Belle Vue afterwards because they knew Rovers were now perched at the top of the league.

Previous table-toppers Oxford United (whose only defeat up this point, incidentally, was a 2-0 reverse at Belle Vue - a result which sparked the revival), could only scrape a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield the following day which consequentially meant Rovers remained at the Division Three summit when the turkey was served up on Christmas Day.

And the festive Number One in 2003? 'Mad World' by Gary Jules; a song which resonates more than ever in the present day as the current Rovers team look to equal the efforts of those players in this era!

Carling Cup Memories (Part 5)

After three weeks of headlines, hype and hysteria - during which the media simply couldn't get enough of Doncaster Rovers, this was the night that everyone had been eagerly awaiting.

Whether it be the local shopkeeper or the old lady living across the road, everyone in every part of the town was fully aware that Arsenal, managed by none other than the legendary Arsene Wenger, were at little old Belle Vue for a mouth-watering Carling Cup Quarter-Final.

Having already disposed of two Premier League teams in Manchester City and Aston Villa during their remarkable cup journey to date, could Dave Penney's side work their magic once again and pull off what would have be their biggest cup shock yet by shooting down the Gunners?

Of course, it wasn't to be, as the night ending in agonising heartbreak for Rovers' heroes, but the overwhelming sense of pride and high esteem which both general townsfolk and supporters far and wide held towards their football team during this period, means it's a cup journey that will forever be recounted with fond memories.

After all, it did take a dramatic, last-gasp injury-time equaliser from a World Cup winning midfielder deep into extra-time to force the penalty shoot-out from which Arsenal's young guns eventually scraped through by the skin of their teeth.

Why oh why didn't Paul Heffernan just keep the ball near the corner flag?

With excitement levels amongst supporters completely 'off the scale' from the moment Aston Villa were mercilessly ripped to shreds in Round Four, much of the mainstream media attention was centred around Arsenal's manager. 

Wenger openly expressed when the Quarter-Final draw was made that he knew very little about Doncaster other than it was sometimes a stop on the train en route to away games in the North-East and his travel plans raised eyebrows on this occasion as he opted to fly to the newly-opened Doncaster-Sheffield Airport by private jet, with the return flight pencilled in for around 10.45pm! Clearly, someone wasn't expecting extra-time or penalties!

The Frenchman was under growing pressure after three successive league defeats; his worst run since becoming manager at Highbury, and just three days earlier, he'd been involved in the latest in a long string of bust-ups with arch-nemesis Jose Mourinho when he refused to accept his Christmas card. 

Thankfully, he was in a more joyful mood on this night as he gratefully accepted Donny Dog's hand-delivered card infront of the Sky Sports cameras before kick-off without any furore!

Speculation and questions beforehand were also centred around what sort of team Wenger would select? Would he rise to taunts by John Ryan, who stated his reserves were better than his first team, and pick names such as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg or, as what happened in the previous round, would he opt to blood some youngsters? The travel arrangements had probably ruled out the non-flying Dutchman, Dennis Bergkamp, who was in his final season with the club!

In the end, it was a mostly youthful line-up that were given the honour of experiencing Belle Vue's squalid and dilapidated facilities with only Philippe Senderos, Alexander Hleb and Robin Van Persie remaining from the side which were beaten by Mourinho's Chelsea.

With a packed capacity-crowd eager with excitement, the watching faithful could hardly have hoped for a better start because with less than five minutes on the clock, Michael McIndoe netted the opener infront of the Town End - squeezing an angled low shot past Gunners' 'keeper Manuel Almunia to spark incredible excitement. Could another cup shock really be on the cards?

By the half-hour mark, the Gunners were still firing blanks and Wenger was far from amused when Van Persie, undoubtedly the biggest name on the pitch, limped off not long after a crunching challenge from Steve Roberts to unceremonious taunts from those watching who suspected (probably correctly) that the Dutchman didn't fancy a difficult night in the bitterly cold South Yorkshire weather. Van Persie was replaced by Nicklas Bendtner. 

Still leading up to and beyond the half-time interval, Rovers were acquitting themselves well against undoubtedly more technical and talented opponents - even going within a whisker of establishing a two-goal cushion when Paul Heffernan had a shot palmed away by Almunia who somehow got up quickly enough to deny Lewis Guy from the subsequent rebound.

The double save proved crucial as Arsenal soon got back on level terms with a goal which owed plenty to good fortune. Quincy Owusu-Abeyie received possession on the edge of the box and hit a speculative shot which would have posed no problems had it not taken a wicked deflection off Sean Thornton's foot which diverted it goalwards and into the bottom corner.

At 1-1, the tie was now teetering on a knife-edge.

The Gunners certainly became livelier as the encounter grew old but despite a Hleb effort momentarily causing Jan Budtz some issues, they couldn't create any meaningful openings and so the game progressed into extra-time when Rovers' hopes were raised once again.

Senderos, referred to in some football circles as 'Ponderos' due to his tendency to 'dilly-dally' in possession, lived up to his nickname as he inexcusably took his time whilst dealing with a loose ball in his own six-yard box following McIndoe's cross. There seemed no danger until Paul Green charged in, dispossessed the Swiss centre-back and smashed the ball home from a few yards.

Immediately, there was an outpouring of euphoria, delight and joy. It was pandemonium in the stands and on the terraces and at half-time in extra-time, Penney's men were just 15 minutes away from booking a two-legged Semi-Final clash with Wigan Athletic who'd been drawn out as next round during extra-time.

Seconds felt like minutes during the second period of extra-time but Rovers ran the clock down well with loanee Sam Oji coming on to shore things up in place of Guy. That substitution, coupled with other brief stoppages in play, resulted in two minutes being added on at the end of extra-time. Two more minutes to survive and create more headlines in this remarkable Carling Cup run.

But then came the infamous and instantaneous moment which swung the pendulum in the cruellest of fashion as Heffernan, with the ball near the corner flag and easily able to keep it there and waste a few more seconds, attempted a cross into the box which was cut-out by Senderos.

Before anyone could catch their breath, the ball was suddenly at Emmanuel Eboue's feet who was accelerating down the right flank like a man possessed in a breakaway counter-attack and it was from his low ball into the area that Gilberto Silva stuck out a leg and put a shot beyond Budtz to make it 2-2.

Immediately Belle Vue was silent. Previously vocal voices were completely crestfallen by what they'd just witnessed - as the saying goes, so near but yet so far!

There was still a chance that Rovers could emerge victorious on penalties but it just wasn't to be for the shell-shocked heroes in red and white hoops as Neil Roberts struck the post, whilst Heffernan and Green had their efforts kept out by the imposing Almunia.

And that was it! The cup run was over in the heartbreaking and gut-wrenching fashion but retrospectively, what a fantastic journey filled with incredible moments and memories it was!

Accrington problems!

Mansfield Town 2-3 Accrington Stanley

Sky Bet League Two

Saturday 21st December 2013

Depending on who you follow, the dramatic finish to this match was one of either joyous pandemonium and complete ecstasy or total gut-wrenching devastation, despair and dejection.

Working at Mansfield Town, at the time, then for me it was definitely the latter!

Accrington's players celebrate their dramatic win (Photo: James Williamson)

To paint a picture, in the three months leading up to this game, we had slid rapidly down the League Two table and straight into a relegation dogfight courtesy of an alarming 11-game winless streak during which everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. By December, optimism had long since evaporated, confidence was at rock-bottom and the poor results themselves came against a backdrop of off-field problems including Paul Cox and Adam Murray (manager and assistant-manager) falling out with one another and then becoming embroiled in a public spat. It's fair to say that foreboding grey clouds were lingering and Field Mill, with its never-ending daily dose of internal politics, wasn't anyone's 'happy place' during this particular period!

Following a club record-equalling six straight losses which included injury-time defeats to Plymouth - a result which, incidentally, saved John Sheridan from the sack and Fleetwood, plus a throwaway defeat on home soil to Morecambe, a 0-0 draw at Wimbledon in the league game prior to Accrington Stanley's visit to North Nottinghamshire at least arrested the plummeting descent.

With James Beattie's team struggling and actually below us in the league table, surely this would be the occasion when we got back to winning ways and enjoyed some early festive cheer? Surely? Possibly? Maybe? Well, lets just say we lived in desperate hope rather than burning expectation!

Nevertheless, fortunes had to change at some point if we were going to avoid an instant return to the non-league abyss and with injuries and suspensions wreaking havoc with the manager's selection plans, outcast defender John McCombe - not the fastest by any means but still someone with plenty of experience under his belt, surprisingly, found himself back in the starting line-up without having played a single minute in six weeks.

Initially, it appeared as if he'd be the unlikeliest of heroes who'd provide the much-needed 'kick-start' and turning point that our season so badly needed because his close-range rebound finish on 23 minutes put us into a 1-0 lead which was still in place by the half-time interval.

Accrington weren't just going to surrender though and their 'upping of the ante' paid dividends shortly after the re-start when Kal Naismith's looping shot from the edge of the area caught the slightest of deflections and evaded Alan Marriott to end up in the net.

The equaliser acted as a wake up call and a quarter-of-an-hour later it was McCombe who was once again the unlikely scorer when he volleyed home, via the underside of the woodwork, having had his initial effort kept out by future Premier League 'keeper Marcus Bettinelli. The goal sparked celebrations and genuine optimism that (finally!) this would be the much-needed turning point in our season.

The relief was almost tangible following the second goal, but as was 'typical Mansfield' during this traumatic period, there were to be agonising further twists.

With Field Mill now illuminated by the floodlights, minutes felt like hours and as the full-time whistle got nearer and nearer, our defending got deeper and deeper. It wasn't long before Accrington began to throw the proverbial 'kitchen sink' at us which meant anxiety levels intensified as we sought to hold on to such a precious advantage.

Eventually, stoppage-time arrived and five minutes were signalled. Five minutes to hold on to a 2-1 lead and thus alleviate three months worth of frustration, worry, pressure and anxiety!

But it didn't happy because three minutes into injury-time, a looping long-throw wasn't dealt with and the ball dropped to Naismith who drilled a low shot through a crowded penalty area and into the bottom left-hand corner. It was 2-2 and a crushing equaliser to concede. Some of our lads' heads were down, other heads had gone altogether. Some players looked lost and forlorn as if the life had been sucked out of them. Whilst Accy's players sensed blood and wanted to quickly re-start, ours were devastated and just wanted the ground to swallow them up. It was demoralising but, importantly, there were still two minutes or so of injury-time that needed to be played - two minutes now to hold on for a point!

Immediately from the re-start, we couldn't keep possession and with the few hardy souls in the away end willing their team on, hearts were in mouths once again. Surely the worst couldn't happen? Surely not? Surely it would be 2-2? However, the worst nightmares WERE realised as a low ball into the six-yard box from the left wasn't cleared and fell towards an unmarked James Gray who smashed it beyond Marriott to make it 3-2 in dramatic fashion with pretty much no time remaining.

It was utter devastation, dejection and demoralising! After leading for so long, we had nothing!

Euphoria amongst the visiting contingent - including James Beattie (later interviewed for the Mansfield job) who was on the pitch celebrating with his players, contrasted sharply with vicious and nasty scenes amongst our fans who were screaming for Paul Cox to be sacked.

Everything afterwards was a blur but the atmosphere was toxic as the players left the pitch at full-time with some Mansfield players becoming embroiled in verbal spats and skirmishes with angry supporters. Tempers had reached boiling point, the devastation was etched on even the angriest of faces who were gathered near the tunnel area - and the Christmas Party, ironically later that night, had the mood of anything other than a celebration!

A memory which sticks in my mind is seeing John Dempster and George Pilkington (two non-involved first team players that day) in the Main Reception just after I'd been out in the car park to check whether any idiots had thrown bricks through any car windows. Neither of them had seen the late drama because they'd left their seats in the Directors Box during injury-time to get down to the players' tunnel to congratulate the lads on what they anticipated would be a win!

On a personal level, it was undoubtedly the most gut-wrenching finale to a football match which I'd experienced since Arsenal equalised deep into extra-time against Doncaster Rovers (my hometown club) in the Carling Cup Quarter-Finals in 2005.

That cup tie, ironically, was exactly eight years to the day of this dramatic comeback!