Doncaster Rovers 1-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Sky Bet League One
Saturday 19th February 2022
He was in top form and pulled the strings as the Owls came from behind to record a deserved win which keeps them firmly in the Play-Off hunt with just over a dozen games of the season to go.
After Kyle Knoyle was brought down and Dan Gardner converted the resulting penalty to put Rovers ahead just before half-time, Wednesday raised the tempo to match the often deafening noise level amongst their large following and eventually turned things around with three goals in the final 20 minutes.
The equaliser epitomised bravery as Callum Paterson put his head in a place where he could have got hurt to convert at the second attempt after his initial header had been blocked on the goal-line; the goal to fire Wednesday into the lead was down to a nifty swivel-and-shot by Saido Berahino, whilst the third goal came on the back of a sweeping counter-attack and immaculate finish by Bannan.
All three finishes had quality. The intensity and transitions in Wednesday's play sometimes could only be admired and if they replicate this display with regular frequency between now and April 30th, they'll have no problems at all in achieving a top six finish.
For Rovers, it wasn't a bad showing by any means. Granted, they didn't have the ball for lengthy spells (and that was because the opposition was very good) but the effort, desire and commitment was certainly there and had Joseph Olowu managed to scramble home a second goal when he missed from just two yards out, who knows what might have materialised with a two-goal cushion to then protect?
Or, if Josh Martin, who was lively and energetic and added something extra to Rovers' attacking play when he replaced Tommy Rowe early on, had managed to score just after the Owls equalised.
As things transpired, DRFC just ran out of steam after 70 minutes and were eventually beaten by an impressive team who, because of their superior resources in comparison to most others at League One level, have some unbelievable players. Bannan was quality and light years ahead of everyone with his touch, movement and creativity to get things going, but with Marvin Johnson, Paterson, Luongo all having decent games and showing good 'zip and zest' in wanting to make things happen (plus Berahino's contribution when he was brought on), even the best teams would have struggled to contain the Owls in this form.
It's a good job Wednesday won because there was more than a sense of frustration building up amongst the 4,000-strong following who might well have turned on Darren Moore had the result not gone in their favour, but he used his substitutions effectively to stave off a barrage of potential abuse.
Although there are areas where Rovers could have been better - whether that be front players pressing more effectively to win the ball back (something which Mipo Odubeko needs to improve), finishing (because Joseph Olowu will be having nightmares about that miss) or just general game-management to stifle away precious seconds in scenarios where the opposition are quite clearly better, the irony is Rovers will probably play worse against a lesser team in League One and get a result.
Perspective is also needed across the DRFC fanbase right now.
Despite it now being seven straight home defeats (and one more will equal the unwanted record set during that traumatic 1997/98 campaign), it's worth remembering that all but a couple of Rovers' recent games have been against teams vying for promotion. The recent fixtures couldn't have been any more difficult and whilst Goal Difference has taken a battering, somehow Gary McSheffrey has also cobbled together a few points to bridge the gap towards 20th position.
A 'Great Escape' remains unlikely, even being just six points adrift with 12 games to go - the majority of which are against teams in the bottom half, but it's certainly not impossible.
Nobody will deny that it's been an awful season and the finger of blame can be pointed in many directions. With Richie Wellens (who was the biggest issue in the early part of this season) long gone, the directors ought to shoulder the biggest responsibility as they've created this season of struggle by over-zealous budget cuts; thus reducing the quality that can be put out on the pitch, plus a string of poor decisions in recent years that have been blamed on various things.
Gary McSheffrey isn't beyond criticism, either, and after the recent defeat to Rotherham United, he fronted things up immediately and openly admitted in the press that he got his team selection wrong. It happens to everyone, even the best managers, and there's no disgrace in admitting mistakes.
What is disgraceful, however, is the behaviour by one moron decided to run to within yards of the dugout area and unleash a tirade of abuse and threats in his direction in the closing minutes of this game after Wednesday's third goal. It provoked a justified response from both McSheffrey and Frank Sinclair and can be added to a growing list of worrying incidents at matches across the country in recent weeks where some fans seem to think acting aggressively or even violently is acceptable 'because it's football'.
It's even more perplexing because although the result had a sense of familiarity to it, what Rovers produced on the pitch wasn't that bad and shouldn't have provoked a vile outburst. I don't know what the individual thought he was going to achieve other than making himself stand out as a moron and it helps nobody. The players and manager deserve both support and respect and if some fans can't be bothered to conduct themselves in a decent way, perhaps they should p*ss off elsewhere!
You'd like to believe that after all the issues caused by lockdowns (such as isolation) over the past year or two, people would be grateful to just be out socialising again - with friends and enjoying a sense of normality. And whilst nobody ever has a problem with constructive opinions, launching into a vitriolic, foul-mouthed tirade of personal abuse and displaying threatening behaviour just isn't acceptable!
Some of the online abuse aimed at players after the defeat to Rotherham went beyond the point of no return, too, whilst a bottle throwing incident which left a young kid badly bruised in the South Stand at this game, is equally as reprehensible.
Put together, this toxic melting pot isn't doing the club any favours. It's becoming a 'scummy' environment with the behaviour levels which some deem to be acceptable, and the club could do with dishing out a handful of banning orders to protect everyone before things get even worse.
And, sadly, it appears only a matter of time before the behaviour will get worse!
The incidents deviate away from what Rovers have to do to stay in League One and next Saturday's game at AFC Wimbledon, on the back of a midweek visit from Accrington Stanley, is a bonafide 'six-pointer' that will go a long way to proving whether or not this team have the credentials to pull off a miraculous escape from relegation trouble.
If survival happens then games such as this one - where the away end was bouncing and it had a 'big game' vibe about it (like in the days when Rovers were in the Championship) will continue. If not, who knows the next time when the away end will be packed to the rafters?
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