Rotherham United (U18s) 1-1 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Rotherham United (U18s) 1-1 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

EFL Youth Alliance

Saturday 27th August 2022

This won’t be a particularly long post because this was one of those games which just won’t live for long in the memory as a tight and often tedious South Yorkshire derby in the EFL North-East Youth Alliance ended in a point apiece.

Both goals were scored inside the first 12 minutes. 

Ethan Harrison got Rovers’ opener when he stabbed the ball home from six yards out after Jack Goodman flicked on Tom Parkinson’s cross but it was quickly cancelled out with Rotherham equalising through a well-struck free-kick from the edge of the box only six minutes later.

At 1-1, Parkinson then had a couple of efforts blocked - the latter of which was from a piercing through ball by Faris Khan who also saw a speculative pot shot caught by the ‘keeper on the quarter-hour mark, whilst Jake Oram pulled off a decent stop on 35 minutes to keep Rovers on level terms.

Harrison was forced off injured at half-time having been kicked and clattered by the hosts’ aggressive backline (who weren’t backwards in coming forwards and dishing out stuff from the dark arts) and thereafter, most of the play was scrappy to the extreme with not much in the way of either quality or good football.

Max Adamson, who replaced Harrison, went close to scoring with a header that drifted narrowly wide off Alex Fletcher’s cross and fellow substitute Harry Wood saw a speculative 25-yard attempt fly just wide in what were Rovers’ only chances of any note in the second half. Up at the other end, Oram was tested properly on only one occasion when he palmed away a powerful drive at his near-post for a corner which was subsequently cleared.

Ultimately, from about the half-hour mark onwards, Rovers fell into the trap of trying to compete with Rotherham’s style as opposed to focusing on their own ideas and getting the ball down, knocking it about, and creating something that way.

The Millers picked up a lot of second balls in midfield, they pressed and closed down really well - giving opponents next to no time on the ball, whilst their defence often had ‘free headers’ and were able to clear their lines with comfort when Rovers played into their hands and went long. Add in the hosts’ height advantage in many positions across the pitch, tendencies to be very aggressive and get ‘in your face’ and it proved to be as difficult a game as one might have envisaged beforehand.

It was just very, very scrappy!

The result definitely didn’t warrant the big smiles, high-fives, loud music and celebrations by Rotherham’s players at full-time (which was completely bizarre) but they’re entitled to do whatever they want, they managed the game well and nobody can deny they earned their first point of the season on merit - even if their style wasn't nice to watch.

The positives for Rovers is that they didn’t cave in and get beat (something which might happen with weaker teams who can’t handle what Rotherham are all about), it’s a difficult game out of the way, and the result extends the unbeaten start to the new season to three games. Who knows, the point might even prove to be a useful one later in the season.

Individually, there were some notable contributions.

Despite being kicked, targeted and ‘roughed up’ which meant he went off injured at half-time, Ethan Harrison was comfortably the best player on the pitch for DRFC. He took his goal well early on and posed a serious threat with his movement. He was a focal point to Rovers’ frontline in the first 30 minutes, wasn’t intimidated by Rotherham’s aggressiveness and was getting the better from his individual duels with Rotherham’s No.5’s before was hacked down around the half-hour mark and needed treatment on a knock which eventually resulted in him being replaced. It was a solid contribution and when he went off, Rovers missed his strength and physical presence up top to compete with the Millers defenders who then had things a bit easy.

Max Adamson, who replaced Harrison, did alright. He’ll always find an opening and on this occasion, he put one header very narrowly wide and then almost nicked the ball off a defender to go clean-through but Rotherham’s No.6 (easily their best defender) got back to his feet just in time, having initially fallen over, to make an interception. Will Flint also popped two good passes on the switch towards Tom Parkinson during the first half which didn't pay off in either instance but the idea/intentions behind it was good whilst Faris Khan was lively for a 10-15 minute spell around the same period.

But then, as stated, from about the point when Harrison had treatment for his knock, the game got extremely scrappy and very tedious. That continued throughout the second half where not a lot happened.

Team: Jake Oram, Alex Fletcher, Charlie Petch, Jak Whiting, Tom Parkinson, Will Flint, Josh Lindley, Jack Raper, Faris Khan, Ethan Harrison, Jack Goodman. Subs Used: Owen Scattergood, Harry Wood, Max Adamson, Will Green.