Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 1-3 Salford City (U18s)

Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 1-3 Salford City (U18s)

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Tuesday 18th January 2022

It seems an eternity since Doncaster Rovers youth team last played a competitive game and, despite this being only a mid-season friendly, it was a worthwhile workout against a good Salford City outfit who are doing well in the North-West Division.

On a freezing night which definitely got colder as the game progressed, Salford eventually ran-out as worthy 3-1 winners; recovering from Alex Wolny's early opener to equalise just before half-time and then adding two further goals in the second period.

From a Rovers perspective, despite it being a classic case of missed opportunities and a game lost, there were two or three good individual displays which bode well ahead of this Saturday's visit to perennial 'bogey team' Mansfield Town. The downside of the night, however, is that Tavonga Kuleya was forced off midway through the second half with a recurrence of a shoulder problem.

With the search for a permanent successor to now-first team boss Gary McSheffrey ongoing, academy manager Tony Cook, Under 16s boss Tony Mee and academy secretary Callum Oakenfold were all present on the sidelines - and they'll have probably been pleased, overall, with what they witnessed.

Salford were the better side and a force to be reckoned with to some extent, but Rovers were certainly on top for spells and gave a reasonably good account of themselves.

Match Report

There was a decent tempo to proceedings throughout and Rovers began well - going close to an opener in the third minute when some clever build-up play culminated in Corie Cole delicately laying the ball off to Jack Raper who hit a low 20-yard drive towards the bottom-left corner which the Salford 'keeper did well to palm away.

A good 'hunger' was evident in Rovers' early play. Tavonga Kuleya showed glimpses of the benefits of having trained regularly in a first team environment with some tidy work and movement, Owen Scattergood and Alex Wolny provided energy and a vocal presence, respectively, on the front-line, whilst deep-lying midfielder Josh Lindley put in a great shift and covered lots of ground.

Despite Salford having some good bits of possession where they moved the ball quickly and fluidly - even creating a chance when Rovers 'keeper Tom Chambers 'got away with one', it was Doncaster who broke the deadlock on 17 minutes as Wolny received the ball just outside the area from where he hit a speculative low drive which seemed to go straight through the visiting 'keeper and into the net. 1-0.

The opener was richly-deserved and there wasn't much to separate the sides at this stage though it was easy amongst the onlookers to recognise Salford's best players - in particular their No.10 who stood out with how he influenced their attacks using his strength in such a positive way.

The visitors went close to an equaliser on a couple of occasions before the half-hour mark with Chambers needing to be alert to tip away a deflected effort from the corner edge of the area whilst the aforementioned No.10 shanked the ball high over the woodwork in a seperate attack.

Just past the half-hour mark is where the game started to shift more notably in Salford's favour as they built up a head of steam, kept possession for longer periods, and pressed harder to level things up.

It should have been 1-1 when Salford's No.4 rose to meet a corner inside the six-yard box but, despite being unmarked and with the goal at his mercy, the player lacked direction with his header and the ball cleared the upright. Anything downward and it would have been an equaliser without question.

Towering Rovers centre-back Charlie Petch also headed away a couple of further set-piece balls into the danger zone and Salford's No.18, stretching to get in-behind, was unlucky not to latch onto a direct forward ball from the back which was attempted on three separate occasions.

Salford's pressure was punctuated by a very good chance for Rovers. Raper and Cole were the creators; the latter flicking on the former's clearance and putting Scattergood into a one-on-one who then bore down on goal and let fly with a powerful drive which was matched with an important save.

It proved to be a big moment because the League Two team quickly went down the other end and, having squandered another headed chance amidst questionably marking, got back on level terms with their No.11 being afforded too much time and space inside the box where he turned, twisted and finally drilled a hard shot into the bottom corner. 1-1.

Rovers then made two or three changes at the break with Alex Fletcher, Will Hollings and Jack Goodman (who appears to be bulkier in terms of upper body strength; gym work paying off) amongst the new faces and they played their part in helping their team-mates get on the front foot again and wrestle back the initiative.

Lindley showed excellent intelligence and movement to free himself of his marker at a throw-in and was at the heartbeat of good things in Rovers' play, whilst a chance was to be had in a separate attack - Goodman unleashing a low shot-on-the-turn which was deflected wide (though no corner was forthcoming).

Donny's good spell continued and they soon went even closer to re-taking the lead when Cole had an effort blocked by a defender's legs with the loose ball ricocheting to Kuleya whose rebound produced a heroic save on the goal-line from the 'keeper.

Hollings was also thwarted around the hour mark - the visiting shot-stopper this time getting down to his bottom-right to tip round the post a first-time strike from inside the 'D' and there was a sense at this point in proceedings that if the level of pressure was maintained, it would result in another goal.

At this point, things took a turn for the worse, however, as Kuleya was caught rather innocuously in a tussle for the ball and straight away was in evident discomfort. It was a recurrence of his shoulder injury and unable to continue, he was replaced by Wolny (who'd gone off at half-time for Goodman). Moments prior to this incident, Lindley - who'd been such an influence, had also been substituted.

If there was one negative aspect which poses a concern it's that Rovers looked vulnerable at set-plays and dealing with balls into the box - and it's precisely how Salford took the lead on 69 minutes. Chambers initially did well to keep out a header following a set-piece delivery but the ball dropped kindly for one of the visitors' attackers who made no mistake with an instinctive pounce on the rebound. 1-2.

The turnaround meant Rovers had work to do and, to their credit, they quickly dusted themselves down and got on with the task of trying to equalise.

A leveller came agonisingly close when Fletcher did his best 'Gazza Euro 96' impersonation - stretching at point-blank range as the ball whistled through the goalmouth infront of him yet somehow he didn't make a meaningful connection from a position where it seemed impossible to miss.

It was incredibly unlucky and proved costly because Salford went straight down the other end and put the result beyond doubt less than a minute later with a goal which bore similarities to the previous one. Again, Rovers weren't quick enough in reacting to the second ball and, despite Chambers producing a decent initial save, the follow-up attempt from a different player found the back of the net. 1-3 - with less than 10 minutes remaining!

Nevertheless, Donny weren't about to chuck in any of the proverbial towels which may have been left at the stadium by Wigan Athletic, and in the game's final chance, Bobby Faulkner would have scored the best goal of his career to date had his acrobatic overhead-kick not been kept out by Salford's agile custodian who got down well to make a save.

It'd have been worthy of a wild celebration but it just wasn't to be - though the technique and execution was absolutely perfect!

Overall Analysis

On the whole, the game was a good one to watch and a really worthwhile work-out where some players did their chances of featuring more prominently in coming games no harm whatsoever. 

Salford are a good team who fielded some talented players which therefore paved the way for a competitive, challenging (both mentally and physically) contest where lots of concentration was needed. Along with minutes in the tank, almost every player will have benefitted in some shape or form from the game and can take something from it.

As mentioned, Josh Lindley was excellent at times - not just with his movement to free himself of his marker at a throw-in but also with how he was composed in retaining possession when being closed down a few times. It was his best performance in a while and a pleasure to watch so he deserves credit for his efforts throughout his hour or so on the pitch.

Elsewhere, Corie Cole produced good bits of technical play, clever movement and was a good influence - particularly with the flick on which released Owen Scattergood for the one-on-one. 'Scatts' didn't score that one; it happens, but he'll score the next one because it's what goalscorers do - and he's a natural goalscorer! Jack Raper was involved quite heavily at times and produced quality on the ball at times, whilst Alex Wolny was a vocal presence and can take confidence from his goal - despite it being the only time in the game where the Salford 'keeper was at fault.

Meanwhile, Charlie Petch deserves a special mention for both the way he, largely, carried out his defensive duties - especially aerially, and also with how he looks much more confident and assured than compared to when he first came to the club. If he's able to continue that amidst the flurry of upcoming fixtures then he'll put himself in a great position looking towards next season.

There's still plenty of things to learn for this team, however, because ultimately they did lose the game. The defending at set-plays, dealing with second balls and out-of-possession work are noticeable areas for improvement - on an individual and collective level. That said, if the lads can glean the positives from this outing (which is certainly the intensity they showed) and 'chew the meat from the bones' in any analysis sessions later this week, then I'm confident they'll be able to go to Mansfield Town this weekend, compete better than they previously have done against them, and give a good account of themselves.

Barring a frozen pitch, the Covid card being used or any other unforeseen problems, I'll be at that game and I'm looking forward to it already.