Whether it be Billy Sharp's famous finish against Middlesbrough, James Coppinger's sublime hat-trick against Southend or one of Ben Whiteman's ice-cool penalties in an important game, everyone no doubt has their own personal favourite which they will look back on fondly.
Below is a chronological selection of goals which are certain to bring plenty of memories from yesteryear flooding back. To see more, visit the Doncaster Rovers Video Archive by clicking here where most DRFC goals from the Keepmoat Stadium are available to watch on demand.
The Keepmoat Stadium's most memorable goals:
Goal 1: Mark McCammon (vs Huddersfield Town: 01/01/2007)
Although Sean O'Driscoll's sides were renowned for their free-flowing 'pass and move' style, it's somewhat ironic that the first ever goal scored at the Keepmoat Stadium was a textbook 'Route One' manoeuvre. The bounce on Ben Smith's long, speculative punt downfield was misjudged by a visiting defender which resulted in the ball sitting up perfectly for Mark McCammon to smash an emphatic half-volley into the net - cue equally as emphatic celebrations from the masses in the stands wearing commemorative red and white shirts to mark the occasion!
Goal 14: Jason Price (vs Crewe Alexandra: 12/02/2007)
Two-nil down at the break after a disjointed first half performance and grappling with a flu bug which had knocked many of the squad sideways, few expected Sean O'Driscoll's team to mount any sort of comeback in this televised Johnstone's Paint Trophy Area Final clash against Crewe - especially considering the manager himself spent the half-time interval laying down on the physio's bed through illness. Somehow, the unlikeliest of comebacks materialised as Paul Heffernan bagged a brace to level things up at 5-5 on aggregate, before who else but 'Afro Goal Machine' Jason Price poked the ball home from close-range in the last minute to book DRFC a trip to the Millennium Stadium.
Goals 73, 74 and 75: James Coppinger (vs Southend United: 16/05/2008)
Few nights will EVER rank alongside this one in Doncaster Rovers' history. It was quite simply the 'coming of age' performance which catapulted James Coppinger into being a club legend and also booked the club their first ever trip to Wembley. Already leading 2-0 in the game, Copps took centre stage with two pieces of sublime 'twinkle toes' trickery and purposeful low finishes either side of half-time, and then grabbed a hat-trick with a clever free-kick. Each goal oozed quality and the fact it happened live on Sky Sports raised his profile substantially.
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| The programme from THAT game against Southend United. |
Goal 76: Lewis Guy (vs Cardiff City, 16/08/2008)
A much-maligned player in Rovers' recent past, Lewis Guy was someone who despite his flaws (and falls - mostly inside the penalty area) had a tendency to begin each season with a real flourish. Having scored the club's first goal in English football's second-tier in 50 years at Derby on the opening day, the striker was also claimed the first 'home' goal in half-a-century with a great volley which gave Tom Heaton no chance. Sadly, Ross McCormack equalised late on to earn Cardiff a point.
Goal 110: Billy Sharp (vs Sheffield Wednesday, 08/12/2009)
You're a Sheffield United fan and you're playing against Sheffield Wednesday, the arch-enemy managed by your old boss who is on the brink of the sack. It was almost the perfect script for Billy Sharp and his dramatic, late, match-winning header resulted in chants of 'You're getting sacked in the morning!' echoing around all four stands of the Keepmoat. Brian Laws survived a few more days in the Owls before being sacked... and then somehow ending up in the Premier League with Burnley!
Goal 114: Jordan Mutch (vs Middlesbrough, 26/01/2010)
Until recent years when the number of loanees has increased substantially, goals scored by non-permanent DRFC players were relatively few and far between. Although Rovers were terrorised in this match by a Middlesbrough team containing a certain Adam Johnson (the less said about him the better!), it was a young Jordan Mutch, making his debut, who scored the goal of the night with a 30-yard blockbuster finish into the top corner!
Goal 156: Steve Brooker (vs Leicester City, 30/04/2011)
Steve Brooker's career at Donny was exceptionally strange given that he scored in his first and last appearances for the club; goals which were two-and-a-half years apart! His strike against Leicester in April 2011 was, however, enough to prevent Sean O'Driscoll's team from sliding into League One after an horrendous second half of the season and brought tongue-in-cheek jokes that he should get 'one more year' as a reward.
Goal 162: John Oster (vs Crystal Palace, 24/09/2011)
For a player who was often accused of passing instead of shooting, it's probably not a huge surprise that John Oster scored only one goal at the Keepmoat Stadium. His long-range attempt came in this clash against Crystal Palace and gave new manager Dean Saunders a winning start, just 24 hours after replacing the much-respected Sean O'Driscoll.
Goal 165: Billy Sharp (vs Middlesbrough, 01/11/2011)
Without doubt, this is the most iconic goal ever scored by any player at the Keepmoat Stadium - something which is unlikely ever to change. On an emotional night and just a few days after his newborn son Luey Jacob Sharp tragically passed away, his dad popped up with a well-placed volley to put Rovers ahead before unveiling a shirt printed for him by kit-man Dave Richards which had the words 'That's For You Son' printed on it. Referee Darren Deadman, sensibly, chose to turn his back instead of following EFL protocls and booking him for removing his shirt.
Goal 192: Jordan Ball (vs Chesterfield, 09/10/2012)
Imagine making your professional debut, coming off the substitutes bench and immediately bagging the match-winner with your first touch of the ball. Sound to good to be true? Well, it may seem like a fanciful fairytale but it's exactly what Jordan Ball achieved in this Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie with Chesterfield which dumped the cup holders out of the competition. Sadly, things didn't quite work out in football for the youngster who was last known to be working in retail in Mansfield.
Goal 224: Kasper Schmeichel's Own Goal (vs Leicester City, 05/10/2013)
There's dropping a clanger and then there's dropping a clanger! Who would have envisaged that just three years later, Kasper Schmeichel would be a Premier League title-winner playing Champions League football after his howler in this game? Mark Duffy's corner-kick should have posed zero problems whatsoever for Denmark's number one but despite being under next to no pressure, the Leicester 'keeper inexcusably screwed up a routine catch and dropped the ball straight into his own net. What an idiot!
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| Kasper Schmeichel can't get his handling right (Photo: Mike Walker) |
Goal 273: Harry Forrester (vs Bury, 08/08/2015)
No goal scored at the Keepmoat Stadium (not even any of Portsmouth's in the game infamously overseen by Mick Russell) has sparked more controversy than this one by Harry Forrester. He connected a bit too well with a half-volley back to the 'keeper following a re-start from a throw-in and the ball ended up in the back of the net. Que arguments and chaos which ended with manager Paul Dickov sportingly allowing Bury to score an unopposed immediate equaliser. The grand gesture did him no favours in the long-term though as he was sacked for poor results less than a month later and has never managed a club since!
Goals 291 and 292: Cameron Stewart and Andy Williams (vs Crewe Alexandra, 12/12/2015)
Sorry! Not Sorry! This was snatching a win from the jaws of defeat! When Crewe scored in the 90th minute to go 2-1 up, they would have been excused for thinking they'd got a match-winner. It proved to be anything but that, however, because Cameron Stewart's sublime 35-yard free-kick immediately drew Rovers back level and a breathtaking turnaround was complete when talisman Andy Williams found space on the edge of the box and popped home what actually was the winning goal. Imagine being one of those people who left early...
Goal 330: Liam Mandeville (vs Grimsby Town, 17/12/2016)
If ever there was a player to have emerged from the DRFC Academy who looked to have everything, it was Liam Mandeville. With an 'EFL Young Player of the Month' award already stashed away in his locker, the youngster produced his best goal for the club with a curling right-footed free-kick from 30 yards which flew into the top corner and silenced the 4,000 away fans who were visiting the Keepmoat Stadium for the first time. Grimsby weren't battered (that was in the away game) and, sadly, this was as good as things ever got for Mandeville who is now playing in the National League with Chesterfield.
Goal 347: Tommy Rowe (vs Mansfield Town, 08/04/2017)
Such was the mid-season collapse in 2015/16, some people would argue that Rovers should never have been relegated to League Two in the first instance - but so they were and, having spent pretty much the entirety of the campaign around the top of the table, achieving instant promotion back to the higher division was just a case of 'when' rather than 'if'. The deal was finally sealed in this encounter against Mansfield with Tommy Rowe sparking a promotion party with the match-winning goal on 74 minutes.
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| Tommy Rowe bags the winner against Mansfield (Photo: Rob Waite). |
Goals 402, 405, 406 and 407: Alfie May (vs Chorley, 20/11/2018)
Two records were broken on this freezing cold November night when non-league Chorley were sent packing back to Lancashire with their tails firmly between their legs. The 7-0 scoreline is Rovers' best ever result since moving to the Keepmoat Stadium whilst Alfie May's four-goal haul (which included a hat-trick before half-time) is the best by any player in a single game.
Goal 443: John Marquis (vs Coventry City, 04/05/2019)
With former Doncaster manager Darren Ferguson in charge at Peterborough and ex-Posh boss Grant McCann holding the reigns at the Keepmoat, and with both teams battling to reach the play-offs, there were always going to be winners and losers in this end-of-season tussle. The battle went down to the final day and amidst nail-biting tension, Rovers already led 1-0 against mid-table Coventry when John Marquis popped up with what turned out to be his final game on home turf in the 85th minute - thus a play-off place was assured, bedlam unfolded and there was even a mini-pitch invasion.
Goal 455: Ben Whiteman (vs Rotherham United, 07/09/2019)
There are two late penalties by Doncaster Rovers' current skipper which could have made this list. The other was his ice-cool last-gasp conversion in the FA Cup Fourth Round against Oldham Athletic, just eight months earlier, but this one against arch-rivals Rotherham United earned local bragging rights and even caused some Millers fans in the away end to start scrapping amongst themselves. It was also 'pay back' for the injury-time defeat at the New York Stadium in the previous meeting in February 2018.
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