Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 2-0 Scunthorpe United (U18s)
Back on home soil for a Youth Alliance game for the first time in what feels like ages, Rovers made five changes from the team which won 1-0 at Mansfield Town last week.EFL Youth Alliance
Saturday 29th January 2022
In a game which was heavily impacted by ridiculously strong winds, Doncaster Rovers' youth team once again found a way to come out on top - making it back-to-back victories with a 2-0 success over Scunthorpe United at Cantley Park.
Up against the elements for the opening 45 minutes, Rovers produced what was very much a 'backs to the wall' performance in order to be on level terms at half-time with 'keeper Tom Chambers pulling off a key save in a one-on-one situation deep into injury-time.
The second half showing was more adventurous than being forced to just defend, and after both a visiting defender had hooked a clearance onto his own crossbar and Jack Raper's inswinging free-kick struck a post, the breakthrough materialised when in-form talisman Jack Goodman ruthlessly beat the Iron 'keeper having been put through by substitute Owen Scattergood.
Goodman, the Under 18s' current top scorer and undoubtedly one of the most in-form and prolific marksmen across the division right now, then doubled the lead on 79 minutes to effectively put the result to bed with first-year Jak Whiting claiming the assist.
Rovers' overall showing again had plenty of positives. It wasn't pretty - and the taking of goal-kicks certainly weren't easy, but the character, discipline and desire to find a way to win in atrocious conditions couldn't be faulted, the game-management was a real plus point, the effort and concentration levels were very high throughout the game, and everyone made positive contributions on an occasion where it would have been easy to go into hiding, blame the weather or find some other excuse.
Registering a second successive clean-sheet should breed confidence - especially as that's been something of a problem in the past 18 months, and if it doesn't then the lads can take pride in the fact they've now moved into the top half of the EFL Youth Alliance (North-West) table.
Furthermore, they've also completed the 'derby double' over Scunthorpe for this term - having come from behind to win the reverse fixture, 3-2, back in August, and are making lots of progress.
Match Report
Two of those were enforced as defender Bobby Faulkner was absent as his loan at Frickley Athletic finally got underway, as was 'keeper Luke Chadwick who has joined Sheffield FC on work experience for a month. The duo were replaced by Charlie Petch and Tom Chambers, respectively, whilst Faris Khan (for Corie Cole), Alex Wolny (for Owen Scattergood) and Alex Fletcher (for Tom Parkinson) were the other changes to the starting xi.
In a positive move, the game was played on grass at Cantley Park which makes a significant difference in comparison to playing on 4G at the Keepmoat - which has been the case for the best part of the last 18 months. It was also particularly appreciated by myself as it avoided glancing over my shoulder and seeing a massive hill and potentially having flashbacks to last week's shenanigans!
Even for someone with a ripped physique (such as myself), however, the winds were that strong and constant that it blew me off my feet a few times and resulted in one of those days where both teams had to battle intensely against the elements as much as anything.
Rovers played against the gale-force conditions for the first 45 minutes and Scunthorpe, who are always a decent team at this level, unsurprisingly had more possession and knocked the ball around quite well.
That said, it was still Doncaster who managed to fashion the first proper opportunity not long after the quarter-hour mark.
Faris Khan has been in good individual form since the resumption of games a couple of weeks back. He bagged an impressive solo goal in a friendly last week and went on another mazy run here, showing quick, tricky and clever footwork to cut inside. He then played a low pass to Will Hollings whose powerful drive was initially spilled by Scunny 'keeper Jake Balme who plucked the ball into his grasp at the second attempt and just in the nick of time as Jack Goodman was bearing down on goal ready to smash home the follow-up.
On the whole at this point, Rovers had settled well despite not seeing as much of the ball as they'd have wanted. The strong wind meant they were 'penned in' for lengthy spells although 'too much' being put on through balls by the visitors, meant the ball was regularly running straight out of play. As a consequence, it meant Tom Chambers had no end of problems in attempting to take goal-kicks - sometimes needing to place the ball as many as four or five times in a single instance and that didn't go down at all well with Scunny's players (to put it mildly) who felt he was taking the p*ss! Even lectured by the referee at one point, the problems persisted and there wasn't a lot anyone could do about it.
Nevertheless, Scunny's pressure did mean they conjured up at least half-a-dozen corners before half-time as well - and it's been defending set-pieces where Rovers' youngsters have been at their most vulnerable this season. Some frailties were exposed again as a whipped ball to the back-post area saw the Iron's No.8 head wide despite being unmarked not long before the half-hour mark, and only a few minutes a similar scenario unfolded with No.5 this time being left free and in space as he also couldn't convert what was another very good chance.
As the clock slowly ticked towards half-time, frustrations were apparent in both camps; Scunthorpe by virtue of having not made a breakthrough when they knew they needed to establish a lead during their easier half, and Rovers at being relentlessly penned in, under pressure and very much unable to get the ball towards their front players.
The wind was showing no signs of easing and at one point a second ball blew halfway down the pitch, whilst there was a constant sprinkling of leaves across the surface too.
One big final opportunity was carved out by the visitors deep into five minutes of first half injury-time, however, and Chambers produced a vital save from it. The Iron's Harrison Poulter was involved - threading a low ball through to a team-mate just inside the box who was left with only the 'keeper to beat but Chambers reacted quickly as he rushed from his line, made himself big and produced a solid and instinctive stop to ensure the scoreline remained 0-0.
The save was crucial because at half-time it felt as if the biggest battle had been won - and now the only thing that Rovers needed to do was go and put the ball in the back of the net.
That said, football can sometimes work in mysterious ways, and despite seizing the initiative upon resumption of the shortest half-time break in history (it was only six-and-a-half minutes long), Scunny went close again five minutes after the re-start when the ball dropped inside the Rovers' area and had to be hooked away by Alex Fletcher just in the nick of time!
Much of the pressure was down at the other end though as Rovers sought to make it back-to-back wins and it's fair to say the Iron's clean-sheet lived something of a charmed existence up until the point it was broken on 75 minutes.
Hollings saw an attempt blocked at the expense of a corner following a counter-attack directly in the aftermath of Fletcher's clearance and Jack Raper's subsequent set-piece cross provoked panic as the ball was somehow sliced onto the upright by a Scunny defender positioned just outside the six-yard box.
The Iron 'keeper also got down low to smother what could have been a dangerous ball across the goalmouth by Hollings, who later delivered a pin-point right-sided corner from which the towering Charlie Petch planted a header narrowly over.
Ethan Harrison and Owen Scattergood were thrown into things at the expense of Wolny and Khan, respectively, and the woodwork was hit for a second time when Raper momentarily morphed into Ronaldinho - curling a long free-kick through a crowded area where nobody made a glancing connection, the 'keeper missed it, and the ball agonisingly clipped the post.
Even though Rovers were very much in the ascendancy, there were a few fleeting thoughts that the goal might not come at the very moment the breakthrough was made with 15 minutes to go.
A well-constructed move culminated with a tidy through-pass by Scattergood towards Goodman who initially showed intelligence to peel off the shoulder of his marker and into empty space. Now with just the 'keeper to beat, he opened up his body superbly, took a touch and picked his spot with aplomb - the roar of 'Yesssssssssssss' being just as ruthless as the finish he produced.
There were several approaches which Rovers could have opted to take at this point but within a few minutes, the job was done as a 1-0 lead became a very commanding two-goal cushion which pretty much put the result beyond any kind of doubt.
Goodman again demonstrated predatory instincts as he capitalised on a slightly high defensive line along with a clever forward through-ball by Jak Whiting to get in-behind - stretching his legs before producing another well-placed finish which underlines his importance to this team.
Thereafter, with Scunny beaten - and knowing they were beaten, the closing minutes didn't see much more goalmouth action, other than Chambers being booked for time-wasting at another goal-kick, as Rovers' job of preserving another clean-sheet was done very efficiently. The wind temporarily died down for a minute or two deep into injury-time but the Iron knew they'd been blown away by some predatory instinctiveness infront of goal.
Overall Analysis
On the whole at this point, Rovers had settled well despite not seeing as much of the ball as they'd have wanted. The strong wind meant they were 'penned in' for lengthy spells although 'too much' being put on through balls by the visitors, meant the ball was regularly running straight out of play. As a consequence, it meant Tom Chambers had no end of problems in attempting to take goal-kicks - sometimes needing to place the ball as many as four or five times in a single instance and that didn't go down at all well with Scunny's players (to put it mildly) who felt he was taking the p*ss! Even lectured by the referee at one point, the problems persisted and there wasn't a lot anyone could do about it.
Nevertheless, Scunny's pressure did mean they conjured up at least half-a-dozen corners before half-time as well - and it's been defending set-pieces where Rovers' youngsters have been at their most vulnerable this season. Some frailties were exposed again as a whipped ball to the back-post area saw the Iron's No.8 head wide despite being unmarked not long before the half-hour mark, and only a few minutes a similar scenario unfolded with No.5 this time being left free and in space as he also couldn't convert what was another very good chance.
As the clock slowly ticked towards half-time, frustrations were apparent in both camps; Scunthorpe by virtue of having not made a breakthrough when they knew they needed to establish a lead during their easier half, and Rovers at being relentlessly penned in, under pressure and very much unable to get the ball towards their front players.
The wind was showing no signs of easing and at one point a second ball blew halfway down the pitch, whilst there was a constant sprinkling of leaves across the surface too.
One big final opportunity was carved out by the visitors deep into five minutes of first half injury-time, however, and Chambers produced a vital save from it. The Iron's Harrison Poulter was involved - threading a low ball through to a team-mate just inside the box who was left with only the 'keeper to beat but Chambers reacted quickly as he rushed from his line, made himself big and produced a solid and instinctive stop to ensure the scoreline remained 0-0.
The save was crucial because at half-time it felt as if the biggest battle had been won - and now the only thing that Rovers needed to do was go and put the ball in the back of the net.
That said, football can sometimes work in mysterious ways, and despite seizing the initiative upon resumption of the shortest half-time break in history (it was only six-and-a-half minutes long), Scunny went close again five minutes after the re-start when the ball dropped inside the Rovers' area and had to be hooked away by Alex Fletcher just in the nick of time!
Much of the pressure was down at the other end though as Rovers sought to make it back-to-back wins and it's fair to say the Iron's clean-sheet lived something of a charmed existence up until the point it was broken on 75 minutes.
Hollings saw an attempt blocked at the expense of a corner following a counter-attack directly in the aftermath of Fletcher's clearance and Jack Raper's subsequent set-piece cross provoked panic as the ball was somehow sliced onto the upright by a Scunny defender positioned just outside the six-yard box.
The Iron 'keeper also got down low to smother what could have been a dangerous ball across the goalmouth by Hollings, who later delivered a pin-point right-sided corner from which the towering Charlie Petch planted a header narrowly over.
Ethan Harrison and Owen Scattergood were thrown into things at the expense of Wolny and Khan, respectively, and the woodwork was hit for a second time when Raper momentarily morphed into Ronaldinho - curling a long free-kick through a crowded area where nobody made a glancing connection, the 'keeper missed it, and the ball agonisingly clipped the post.
Even though Rovers were very much in the ascendancy, there were a few fleeting thoughts that the goal might not come at the very moment the breakthrough was made with 15 minutes to go.
A well-constructed move culminated with a tidy through-pass by Scattergood towards Goodman who initially showed intelligence to peel off the shoulder of his marker and into empty space. Now with just the 'keeper to beat, he opened up his body superbly, took a touch and picked his spot with aplomb - the roar of 'Yesssssssssssss' being just as ruthless as the finish he produced.
There were several approaches which Rovers could have opted to take at this point but within a few minutes, the job was done as a 1-0 lead became a very commanding two-goal cushion which pretty much put the result beyond any kind of doubt.
Goodman again demonstrated predatory instincts as he capitalised on a slightly high defensive line along with a clever forward through-ball by Jak Whiting to get in-behind - stretching his legs before producing another well-placed finish which underlines his importance to this team.
Thereafter, with Scunny beaten - and knowing they were beaten, the closing minutes didn't see much more goalmouth action, other than Chambers being booked for time-wasting at another goal-kick, as Rovers' job of preserving another clean-sheet was done very efficiently. The wind temporarily died down for a minute or two deep into injury-time but the Iron knew they'd been blown away by some predatory instinctiveness infront of goal.
Overall Analysis
It wasn't a type of occasion where anyone could shine and be outstanding (and that was down to the weather), but a deserved mention must go to Tom Henson who yet again put in a good shift, showed lots of energy and drive on the ball, and operated at wing-back on both flanks during the course of the 90 minutes. Whenever a good player is out for a prolonged period, it's always a concern as to whether they'll hit the form upon their return, but since being back in the fold what he's produced can't be faulted. He's replicated some of his performances from last season, is showing quality and commitment, and is 100% putting himself in a strong position to earn a professional contract. Fair play to him - and I'd love to see his GPS stats because I suspect they're quite high!
Along with Tom, credit also needs to go to Charlie Petch is becoming something of a defensive lynchpin at the back. He played well in the friendly defeat to Salford City the other week, stepped into Bobby Faulkner's position in this game and delivered another solid performance and that's pleasing to see so long may it continue! Jack Raper is getting better and becoming more consistent, distributes some excellent balls at times and has the individual ability to get this team going - and he can play a massive part in the next year. Will Hollings showed some good traits - he's dictated other games more than this particular one (which, again, was partly down to the weather) but he was still involved in almost all the big chances that were created which is a nod to what he can contribute.
The contribution of Jack Goodman; not just for the goals but with how he's strived to improve his physicality, get better, get more edges over his opponents and improve his game, definitely hasn't gone unnoticed - and that's testament to his character and Owen Scattergood (nice assist) and Alex Wolny both offered different facets on the front-line which paved the way for this win. Ethan Harrison being back fit and available, playing and using his presence and power to good effect is something which is good for him on an individual basis - and fingers crossed that he'll end up with a solid and consistent run of regular appearances in the coming weeks as he's not had a vast amount of game-time up to now.
Tom Chambers for the part-gamesmanship in taking eight minutes with goal-kick and for the crucial save on the stroke of half-time also warrants a mention because if the scoreline had gone 0-1, who knows what might have happened? Alex Fletcher made a good chance-preventing clearance that was crucial - especially with the clearance at 0-0, though it made me smile when he was 'mugged off' by what looked like a ten-year-old kid later on who threw the ball away from him when he went to retrieve it at a throw-in.
Faris Khan was rewarded with a start which he fully deserves considering he's put in a few decent displays recently. As mentioned in the report, he scored a great solo goal in midweek - is looking neat, nifty and nimble with the ball at his feet, isn't afraid to run at opponents, and the talent he possesses is slowly beginning to get unlocked after an up-and-down first part of the season. Despite not being on for that many minutes, Tom Parkinson can take a lot of confidence from his four-goal haul in last week's friendly and didn't do anything wrong in this outing, as can Josh Lindley who didn't misplace a pass in his 10-15 minute showing, bagged a thunderous goal in the same midweek friendly, and generally looks a lot more confident and settled compared to a few months ago - it's all pleasing to see!
Dan Wilds, as captain, can take pride in how he's led his team to successive clean-sheets; Michael Nesbitt didn't put a foot wrong and did what was required in his short 10-15 cameo, whilst finally there are various things I could say about Jak Whiting and what he offers. It wasn't his busiest game in terms of impact by any means although he still got an assist and has so many good traits (in just about every way) to offer in the long-term - he's just a quality individual to have around!
Again, everyone worked hard in difficult conditions, nobody looked for an excuse, and everyone contributed something in this win - and again, that's a sign of consistency because the work-rate couldn't be faulted last week either. A further observation that I'd make is that competition for places is very strong right now and that's not always been the case (for various reasons - one being injuries) in the past. The game-management is improving week-by-week, the CHARACTER is strong, and there's just a lot more positives than compared to September when things were a bit 'Meh' such as after the Mansfield away game, or the home performance against Bradford City. Progress is definitely being made and it's clear and evident to see and everyone involved deserves credit for that.
There are still elements for improvement. A few lapses at set-plays could have proved costly - twice were there 'free headers' in a short period around the half-hour mark, plus during another move where (No.2) got into the box unmarked in a dangerous position. That is definitely the big area to work on to ensure things are as resolute as possible, whilst the distribution at times (even taking the wind into consideration) could have been better across the team.
It wasn't always pretty but those minor negatives are massively outweighed by the positives - TOGETHERNESS, the work-rate, the willingness and the fact the lads found a way to win in challenging circumstances.
Fair play to Scunthorpe because they gave it a good go and they've got some alright players - and they were also without Harry Lewis who made his debut for their first team yesterday. Looking at things from a slightly different perspective, it's a shame the two games against them this term have been heavily impacted (the reverse game by an early red card), because in 'normal' 11v11 conditions it'd be a good game to watch, but I wish them the best of luck and hope their first team stays in League Two.
The next challenge for Rovers is a trip to Bradford City on Saturday 12th February!
Same again lads?
Along with Tom, credit also needs to go to Charlie Petch is becoming something of a defensive lynchpin at the back. He played well in the friendly defeat to Salford City the other week, stepped into Bobby Faulkner's position in this game and delivered another solid performance and that's pleasing to see so long may it continue! Jack Raper is getting better and becoming more consistent, distributes some excellent balls at times and has the individual ability to get this team going - and he can play a massive part in the next year. Will Hollings showed some good traits - he's dictated other games more than this particular one (which, again, was partly down to the weather) but he was still involved in almost all the big chances that were created which is a nod to what he can contribute.
The contribution of Jack Goodman; not just for the goals but with how he's strived to improve his physicality, get better, get more edges over his opponents and improve his game, definitely hasn't gone unnoticed - and that's testament to his character and Owen Scattergood (nice assist) and Alex Wolny both offered different facets on the front-line which paved the way for this win. Ethan Harrison being back fit and available, playing and using his presence and power to good effect is something which is good for him on an individual basis - and fingers crossed that he'll end up with a solid and consistent run of regular appearances in the coming weeks as he's not had a vast amount of game-time up to now.
Tom Chambers for the part-gamesmanship in taking eight minutes with goal-kick and for the crucial save on the stroke of half-time also warrants a mention because if the scoreline had gone 0-1, who knows what might have happened? Alex Fletcher made a good chance-preventing clearance that was crucial - especially with the clearance at 0-0, though it made me smile when he was 'mugged off' by what looked like a ten-year-old kid later on who threw the ball away from him when he went to retrieve it at a throw-in.
Faris Khan was rewarded with a start which he fully deserves considering he's put in a few decent displays recently. As mentioned in the report, he scored a great solo goal in midweek - is looking neat, nifty and nimble with the ball at his feet, isn't afraid to run at opponents, and the talent he possesses is slowly beginning to get unlocked after an up-and-down first part of the season. Despite not being on for that many minutes, Tom Parkinson can take a lot of confidence from his four-goal haul in last week's friendly and didn't do anything wrong in this outing, as can Josh Lindley who didn't misplace a pass in his 10-15 minute showing, bagged a thunderous goal in the same midweek friendly, and generally looks a lot more confident and settled compared to a few months ago - it's all pleasing to see!
Dan Wilds, as captain, can take pride in how he's led his team to successive clean-sheets; Michael Nesbitt didn't put a foot wrong and did what was required in his short 10-15 cameo, whilst finally there are various things I could say about Jak Whiting and what he offers. It wasn't his busiest game in terms of impact by any means although he still got an assist and has so many good traits (in just about every way) to offer in the long-term - he's just a quality individual to have around!
Again, everyone worked hard in difficult conditions, nobody looked for an excuse, and everyone contributed something in this win - and again, that's a sign of consistency because the work-rate couldn't be faulted last week either. A further observation that I'd make is that competition for places is very strong right now and that's not always been the case (for various reasons - one being injuries) in the past. The game-management is improving week-by-week, the CHARACTER is strong, and there's just a lot more positives than compared to September when things were a bit 'Meh' such as after the Mansfield away game, or the home performance against Bradford City. Progress is definitely being made and it's clear and evident to see and everyone involved deserves credit for that.
There are still elements for improvement. A few lapses at set-plays could have proved costly - twice were there 'free headers' in a short period around the half-hour mark, plus during another move where (No.2) got into the box unmarked in a dangerous position. That is definitely the big area to work on to ensure things are as resolute as possible, whilst the distribution at times (even taking the wind into consideration) could have been better across the team.
It wasn't always pretty but those minor negatives are massively outweighed by the positives - TOGETHERNESS, the work-rate, the willingness and the fact the lads found a way to win in challenging circumstances.
Fair play to Scunthorpe because they gave it a good go and they've got some alright players - and they were also without Harry Lewis who made his debut for their first team yesterday. Looking at things from a slightly different perspective, it's a shame the two games against them this term have been heavily impacted (the reverse game by an early red card), because in 'normal' 11v11 conditions it'd be a good game to watch, but I wish them the best of luck and hope their first team stays in League Two.
The next challenge for Rovers is a trip to Bradford City on Saturday 12th February!
Same again lads?
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