Sky Bet League One
Saturday 2nd October 2021
It doesn't matter how you get three points so long as you get three points and that's exactly what Doncaster Rovers did in this victory over Milton Keynes Dons.
In fairness, Rovers could have been out of sight in the first 15 minutes because along with Tommy Rowe's seventh-minute opener when he sprung the offside flag to lift the ball over the oncoming 'keeper, both Ben Close and Rodrigo Vilca were unlucky to see attempts come back off the woodwork.
Having initially been all over the place, MK Dons duly improved and got a quick equaliser when Peter Kioso (moments after seeing his blockbuster of a shot tipped wide by Pontus Dahlberg) slid in from close-range to find the target from the resulting corner.
The visitors were by far the better footballing team - knocking the ball around and retaining possession extremely well, and they dominated for a good 25-30 minutes either side of half-time.
Goalscorer Kioso and Troy Parrott caused a plethora of problems on the right-hand side and always seemed to be in space (up to the interval), whilst Max Watters was finally given something to run onto on a few occasions after the re-start with Dahlberg being required to make saves. The Swedish stopper was also equal to a Scott Twine effort which kept Rovers on level terms.
For all MK's possession they didn't succeed in creating a vast amount of opening and, crucially, putting the ball in the back of the net - something which came back to bite them.
Tiago Cukur hasn't enjoyed the best of starts to his time at DRFC but he made a near-immediate impact from the substitute's bench - poking home Jordy Hiwula's already seemingly goalbound shot from point-blank range to defy the odds and put Rovers on course for a win. There was a hint of offside about the goal (whether it was or wasn't I don't know as I haven't seen the footage yet) though prolonged protestations by visiting players fell on dear ears.
The closest Liam Manning's team came to making it 2-2 thereafter was, ironically, from a free-kick which shouldn't have been awarded when Mo Eisa, who'd been offside in the initial winning of the set-piece, curled his attempt just inches wide of the right-hand post.
With MK reduced to pumping the ball long during the closing minutes - a style which just didn't suit them, that alone was a telling enough sign that they'd become desperate and Rovers were tantalisingly close to victory. The celebrations amongst the players in red shirts at the final whistle showed how much this victory meant to them and it's undeniably a big, positive response to the hammering at Ipswich Town in midweek.
Despite still being stuck in the relegation zone and without a game for the next fortnight, Rovers can take a lot of confidence and encouragement from this win. It wasn't pretty, they had to 'dig in' and maintain their shape at various times when MK were popping the ball around with ease, but ultimately what they produced was enough to beat a very technically good team for League One level.
In my opinion, part of MK's downfall was they 'over-played' on some occasions when it wasn't necessary. They had lots of possession but not a lot of it was in critical areas. Had they been more direct in their passing and more incisive at times than what they actually were, then perhaps it would have resulted in more clear-cut openings. This Rovers team were there for the taking on a few occasions and MK were guilty of not scoring when they were on top so I've got little sympathy that they came unstuck at the other end - albeit against the balance of play.
Regardless of the defeat, the Dons certainly have some quality attacking players for League One level such as Scott Twine, Max Watters, Peter Kioso (who has improved plenty since I watched him at Hartlepool United), Dan Harvie, Matt O'Riley, Mo Eisa and Troy Parrott and it's obvious to see why they've enjoyed a positive start to the season. They are a force to be reckoned with and will brush some teams aside as they've already done. This just wasn't a game where they showed the best of what they're all about.
From a Rovers perspective, this win will ease the pressure on Richie Wellens who spent the majority of the game in the TV gantry in the West Stand - opting to get a birdseye view of the action as opposed to barking out orders on the touchline.
He got louder in barking out orders as the game grew older and, assuming he's not going anywhere for a while now, he must find a way to inspire the players he selects to turn this one win into consistently good form when matches resume on a regular basis after the international break.
Time will tell whether he's capable and the 'good manager' which he proclaims to be...
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