Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 5-0 Harrogate Town (U18s)

Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 5-0 Harrogate Town (U18s)

EFL Youth Alliance

Wednesday 27th October 2021

Ruthless and dominant at both ends of the pitch, this was a performance filled with positives for Gary McSheffrey's youngsters at Doncaster Rovers as they hammered Harrogate Town, 5-0, in a re-arranged EFL Youth Alliance game at the Keepmoat Stadium.

In a game made challenging due to blustery weather conditions, from the moment Owen Scattergood opened the scoring midway through the first half, Rovers always looked to be in control and five different players ultimately got their names on the score-sheet - including U16s forward Max Adamson who was featuring at youth team level for the first time!

Harrogate had two players red carded during an ill-disciplined finale but that shouldn't take the shine away from an impressive collective display where the lads in red shirts applied themselves far better, and worked much harder, than their opponents.

The 5-0 scoreline is the youth team's biggest margin of victory since Mansfield Town were beaten 7-0 in March 2015, whilst the clean-sheet at the opposite end means the lads have now registered successive shut-outs for the first time since the 2018/19 campaign.

Having now recorded three successive wins, confidence will quite rightly be high amongst the group and so it should be. It certainly feels as if a corner has been turned in recent weeks; the lads have got results to match some hard-working, high-effort performances and it's very pleasing to see - especially with matches coming thick and fast over the next few weeks!

Match Report

Rovers went into this affair on the back of a brilliant 2-0 win at high-flying Rotherham United at the weekend - a game where they had to match the Millers' physicality in order to achieve a positive outcome and did so with Jack Raper and Owen Scattergood finding the target.

There were three changes to Rovers' starting xi with Tom Chambers, Michael Nesbitt and Scattergood coming into the team in favour of Luke Chadwick (who is playing tonight for Staveley Miners Welfare), Josh Lindley and Tom Parkinson. 

Most of the early exchanges were quite scrappy as both teams took some time to settle. There was little in the way of quality or either goalmouth action during the opening quarter-of-an-hour aside from a couple of DRFC corners (which came to nothing) and a 'pea-roller' of a low shot by Harrogate's Ben Tweed from the edge of the box that was comfortably gathered by Chambers.

The visitors were ever so slightly on top, in terms of better ball retention, in the moments proceeding Rovers' opener on 21 minutes.

It came off a defensive mistake as Town 'keeper Harvey Giles rushed from the goal-line to intercept a dodgy back-pass which was going out for a corner but in preventing that, he inadvertently gifted the ball straight to Scattergood who was left with the simplest of close-range finishes.

Harrogate looked suspect and vulnerable defensively and they came unstuck again just beyond the half-hour mark as Tavonga Kuleya doubled Rovers' lead by showing bravery and predatory instincts to latch onto Will Hollings' right-wing cross from open play and poke the ball past the 'keeper who, perhaps, could have done more again.

The visitors weren't bad going forward and Brad Williams (wearing the No.7 shirt) showed glimpses of his talent although a combination of too many wayward long balls, playing against the direction of the windy weather during the first 45 minutes and solid defending by those in red shirts, meant his threat was muted to a large degree.

Rovers would have been 3-0 up at half-time had Jack Raper kept down a powerful attempt following a swift and sweeping counter-attack and, likewise, a third goal nearly arrived again just after the interval as Scattergood couldn't get a firm enough header to trouble the 'keeper following another right-wing cross by Hollings before Kuleya's back-post effort at the second time of asking ricocheted off the back of a covering defender and away from the danger zone.

Harrogate, now being helped by the wind blowing in the direction towards which they were attacking, should maybe have capitalised on a frenetic passage of play which saw Chambers heavily involved. The first-year Rovers 'keeper was way off his goal-line (at an angle close to the byline) when he smothered two quickfire shots before the ball ricocheted outside the area where he again needed to make a block. He couldn't use his hands at this point so nifty footwork (including at one point where he was practically sat on the ball) was ultimately needed to get out of an awkward tangle which could have ended very differently!

It was all rather scrappy and, in retrospect, if Harrogate had scored at this point and seized the momentum which they desperately needed to, it may have paved the way for a different outcome. As things transpired, the following 20-25 minutes were devoid of clear-cut openings at either end with Rovers being strong and resolute defensively to nullify the threat which Harrogate posed. 

Thereafter, it was then a case of the vast difference and impact made by both teams' substitutes!

Max Adamson, stepping up from the U16s for whom he's been scoring regularly in recent weeks, was introduced for the final quarter-of-an-hour and within minutes of entering the pitch, he'd managed to claim an assist (of sorts). His low right-wing cross into the area found Kuleya whose shot was parried by the visiting 'keeper straight towards fellow substitute Tom Parkinson who replied with an arrowed drive through the legs of a covering defender to make it 3-0.

Adamson wasn't to be denied on his youth team debut and only a few minutes later, he made it 4-0 with a well-taken goal on the back of some neat build-up play, but the best strike was saved for last as Corie Cole perfectly illustrated his undoubted technical ability - demonstrating a lovely touch followed by a quick 'pirouette' and shot across the 'keeper from inside the box which nestled in the bottom corner.

In contrast, two of Harrogate's substitutes saw their time on the pitch brought to a premature end during the final quarter-hour as they received red cards which were wholly avoidable.

Emmanuel Ilesanmi boasted a big frame and useful physique, and on a different day he might have been able to make a positive impact. However, he struggled to get the better of Bobby Faulkner in any individual battle and eventually lost his cool which resulted in two quick yellow cards (the latter for dissent towards the linesman). Then, only four minutes later, Finn O'Boyle was following his team-mate on the long trek back to the changing room after being shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident which was spotted by the same linesman.

It was all rather petulant and pointless behaviour because the game was over, theoretically, considering the scoreline by this stage.

Overall, there can be no taking away from the credit which the lads deserve for their win. Although Harrogate didn't perform well, there was still a required standard and work-rate that needed to be met in order to win the game - and Rovers showed more than enough quality, composure and ruthlessness in the most important areas of the pitch to get the job done!

The defence as a collective deserve huge credit. Bobby Faulkner was excellent and commanding, did a perfect job in dealing with what was put infront of him and it was a high bar performance which will do his confidence and self-belief the world of good. Likewise, Michael Nesbitt, Dan Wilds and Jak Whiting all deserve a mention too - and also Tom Chambers on his first clean-sheet this season.

Having five different players score a goal in the same game is always an impressive feat and Max Adamson will earn a lot of plaudits given that it was a 'goalscoring debut' - something which can never be taken away from him! Owen Scattergood, recently back from injury, boasts an excellent 'goals per minutes' scoring ratio, however, which hasn't gone unnoticed and he showed a couple of nice touches in this game where he got into threatening positions on the right side of his opponent. Jack Goodman (though he didn't score for a change!) worked effortlessly a couple of times as well - especially early on when he was chasing plenty and sacrificing himself for the greater cause! That didn't go unnoticed either.

This win moves Rovers back into the top half of the EFL Youth Alliance table and they're now just four points behind early-season table-toppers Grimsby Town.

Next up is a game with Burton Albion this weekend (Saturday 30th October) where, if it happens, another successive clean-sheet would equal the same feat managed during the 2017/18 campaign.

Over to you, lads...

Team: Tom Chambers, Will Hollings (Alex Fletcher), Jak Whiting, Dan Wilds (Josh Lindley), Bobby Faulkner, Michael Nesbitt, Owen Scattergood, Jack Raper (Faris Khan), Jack Goodman (Tom Parkinson), Corie Cole, Tavonga Kuleya (Max Adamson).