Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 5-0 Hull City (U18s)

Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 5-0 Hull City (U18s)

Professional Development League Cup

Saturday 3rd September 2022

Still unbeaten and playing well, this was the best performance of the season so far by Doncaster Rovers’ youth team as they totally destroyed their Hull City counterparts at Cantley Park.

Racking up a remarkable 5-0 scoreline; ironic given that Hull have Category Two status and were therefore meant to be the stronger side, Rovers looked a cut above their opponents. They were miles more organised everywhere across the pitch, tactically dominant from the first whistle to the last, they moved the ball brilliantly at times to carve out some good openings and they were very worthy of such a big win.

Such was the lads’ dominance, Hull can count themselves fortunate they only lost by five goals - and it was a performance on a par with those which were often produced by the North-East Youth Alliance title-winning team of 2019/20.

Jack Goodman bagged two goals to end his little barren spell, ‘Man Of The Match’ Faris Khan (who was phenomenal with the qualities he showed) claimed another, Will Green bagged his third goal of the season with a deflected free-kick and Max Adamson was also on the score-sheet.

Match Report

Rovers have entered the U18s Professional Development League Cup this year with a handful of other Category Three teams and they’ve been drawn in a group alongside Barnsley and Lincoln City who they’ll face in away fixtures. The group winners will progress to the knockout stage.

Boss Chad Gribble was forced to make a notable change to the team which drew 1-1 at Rotherham United last week as Ethan Harrison missed out due to a knock sustained from a tackle in that game. His absence paved the way for Max Adamson to make his first start of the new season.

From the first minute, Rovers signalled their intentions and set the tempo as they got at Hull - playing with zip, zest, confidence and showing quality on the ball.

As Coldplay once sang, it was ‘Tigers waiting to be tamed' because the visitors were often camped deep inside their own half and struggled to contain the threat they were faced with.

Rovers’ first chance came on four minutes when Josh Lindley rose highest inside the box to meet Faris Khan’s corner and sent a glancing header narrowly wide of the post. Soon afterwards, the two talismen in red and white hoops linked up to superb effect with Adamson driving through the middle and slotting a pass through for Jack Goodman to run onto and his shot drew a fine fingertip save from the City ‘keeper who palmed the ball over the upright.

Khan’s subsequent corner came to nothing but Rovers continued to press high, probe menacingly and pose all kinds of problems and there were half-hearted appeals for a penalty when Adamson went down tight to the byline on 22 minutes but the referee wasn’t convinced.

It quickly didn’t matter because two minutes later, two bits of individual quality that were perfectly knitted together ensured that Rovers went 1-0 up. 

Alex Fletcher produced the first piece of skill as he burst down the right flank and whipped a fantastic ball towards the back-post area. It looked initially as if the Hull ‘keeper would pluck the ball out of the air but, out of nowhere, Adamson came charging in and used his strength to jump highest and head the ball into the top corner. The 'keeper's complaints fell on deaf ears because it was a fantastic finish; epitomising bravery and it was a great example of what happens when a striker decides to gamble and own a situation. 1-0.

With a deserved lead established, Rovers continued to play with a certain freedom, desire and purpose which had the same beat and rhythm as one of the ‘bangers’ from Leeds Fest last week. 

Adamson continued to pose Hull’s defenders all kinds of issues with his pace and annoying persistence and when he burst clear down the left flank and played an inviting ball into the centre towards Goodman, Hull’s ‘keeper had to come off his line and intercept the danger to prevent another goal. Will Green also saw a low drive from the edge of the area go straight at the ‘keeper on the back of another foray forward.

Soon enough though, it was 2-0 to DRFC!

After Goodman was fouled on the edge of the area, Green shouldered the set-piece responsibility. His effort wasn’t actually the best because the ball struck a body in Hull’s three-man defensive wall, but the deflection was enough to divert it horribly goalwards and past a stranded ‘keeper who’d already committed to his dive. 2-0.

Now in even more control, Rovers attempted to assert their dominance further still and came close to adding a third goal on two more occasions before the break. Adamson nearly got in-behind from Jak Whiting’s piercing ball over the top when Hull's defence were high whilst, right on the half-time whistle, Goodman saw a header go wide from a right-sided cross.

If Rovers first half performance was good then the second was even better as the lads continued to destroy the Tigers’ souls and were merciless, fearless and thoroughly ruthless in executing their game-plan.

Adamson should have made it 3-0 not long after the re-start when he brilliantly used his upper body strength to outmuscle a defender and advance into a one-on-one. More often than not he’d put the ball in the net in this scenario, but on this occasion he skewed his shot wide - much to his own frustration as he knew it was a massive chance!

Because Whiting, Charlie Petch and Will Flint were so organised at the heart of the Rovers defence, combined with Lindley, Khan and even Jack Raper battling hard to win absolutely everything in midfield, Hull never really looked as if they would get back in the game. 

Any hopes they might have harboured about a comeback were dashed altogether on 57 minutes when Rovers made it 3-0 in a move which was started and executed by Khan - and epitomised everything that was quality about his performance.

Midway inside the visitors' half, the second-year scholar showed strength and bravery to keep possession under pressure and nip a quick pass towards Goodman. He then worked his way towards the byline and intelligently cut the ball back for Khan who produced a neat and tidy sweeping side-foot finish from 12 yards which went in off the post. 3-0.

With 30 minutes still to go, the question in everyone’s minds was ‘just how many will Rovers score?’

The lads almost made it 4-0 on 67 minutes thanks to some more aggressive and determined play deep inside Hull's penalty area which saw Khan have a toe-poked effort blocked before he bravely won the ball back and moved it out to Fletcher in a great position on the byline. He flicked the ball up for Goodman whose header from point-blank range cannoned back off the upright which allowed Hull to finally clear their lines.

Fletcher came into his own about this period and provided some outstanding crosses. Only a couple of minutes later, he found Goodman again who some great technique to finish acrobatically from about 10 yards but just as he was about to run away and celebrate, he noticed the linesman’s flag was up for offside.

Nevertheless, just over a minute or so later, Goodman’s mini goal drought did come to end.

This time, the ball came from the other side as Whiting’s deep and dangerous ball towards the back-post area found Owen Scattergood lurking with intent. The substitute knocked it down towards Goodman who simply wasn’t going to miss from six yards out and showed a bit of nifty footwork before slotting coolly into the net. 4-0.

Rovers made a series of substitutions at this point to ensure everyone on the bench received minutes with Sam Brown, Harry Wood and Freddie Allen introduced for Raper, Khan and Whiting, respectively. The changes meant Fletcher took the armband for the first time in his youth team career.

Hull probably just wanted to go home by now because it was a damage limitation process for them but, damage continued to be done, and after Brown drew a foul approximately 25 yards out in a dangerous position, both Tom Parkinson and Goodman stood over the ball. Both players fancied their chances from the set-piece and when it was struck, Goodman’s effort beat the ‘keeper at his left-hand post and clipped the woodwork on the way in for good measure. 5-0.

The final 10 minutes saw two substitutes link-up as Rovers sensed blood and tried to extend their lead further still.

Parkinson (who’d been brought on for Will Green after an hour) whipped a delicious left-foot corner to the back-post where Wood did everything correctly; peeling off the shoulder of his marker to be unmarked and then connecting powerfully with a downward header which was somehow tipped over. It was a mystery how the ‘keeper kept it out and less than a minute later, Parkinson himself went close with a shot from inside the box which was blocked before it was scrambled away.

Rovers worked hard to ensure there was to be no mistakes at the other end so they could register a second clean-sheet of the season and there were a lot of positives to take from this performance. The tactics were excellent, the desire, intensity, effort levels and commitment was there in abundance from every player, a togetherness and team spirit was apparent (proof being what's now become a trademark huddle before the start of each half) and there were some quality individual showings with a few lads having excellent games.

Not bad for Category Three underdogs against a Category Two outfit!

Individual Thoughts

There were many positives from this game and some great individual contributions.

Faris Khan was my ‘Man Of The Match’ because it was a pleasure to watch him play with such assuredness, maturity and show aggression in how he carried out his responsibilities. He bossed some parts of this game; he battled to win possession in various instances, grafted and picked up quite a few loose or second balls in high areas then linked up with the front two to pose a serious and significant threat. He had a good 10-minute spell at Rotherham last week and this performance was the best game of his scholarship by a mile. The goal he scored was a deserved reward for his work throughout the game. He looks a different player compared to last year and he’s earned a massive 'thumbs up' from me for his display.

Someone else who looks high on confidence right now is Josh Lindley. After a mixed season last year where he never really got a consistent run in the starting line-up, he’s come of age over the past few games to establish his position right in the heart of this team. He’s the engine and he's in the team on merit. He made some great contributions in the second half (winning the ball back superbly in one particular instance). His short and simple passes in the No.4 role, along with just generally reading a game so well is such an under-rated quality, plus he’s developed an aggression and an edge with his style of play. He's also being more vocal which is fantastic. There’s lots for him still to improve but to see a talented player performing with enthusiasm and having a smile on their face is great to see. Keep it up and take confidence from what you're doing and how you're doing it right now!

Elsewhere, Alex Fletcher was outstanding with the consistency of his crosses. He’ll always bear similarities to a tenacious little ankle-nipping Yorkshire Terrier with how he carries out his defensive responsibilities and grafts (and I’ve seen that facet of his game multiple times over) but his quality on the ball in this game was really good and if he maintains this performance level then he'll get a good reputation amongst those who watch him. He got into some excellent offensive positions - especially in the second half, got an assist, even got the armband and should be pleased with his own performance.

I’d love to write something articulate about the defence but this just wasn't the most lively game they'll ever have. 

What did stand out was their organisation - to the point where Jake Oram (the Rovers 'keeper) didn’t have a shot to save; or at least I can’t remember him saving one. He did have a few routine kicks and crosses to deal with but nothing major.

Jak Whiting did his usual stuff as skipper and the balls over the top were of a good quality; especially the one to Max Adamson just before half-time and the secondary assist in the build up to the fourth goal. He reads that aspect of the game very well and knows precisely when is (and when isn't) the right time to do it. Charlie Petch was just a big towering unit like he always is; no frills, he wins his headers, he's strong and he keeps it simple. Will Flint defended well in two or three specific duels to come out on top and he's learning all the time. He's also got a clever ball on the switch in his locker that he’s used a few times in games already. Generally, it’s accurate and I know already the exact body movement he’ll make when he’s about to do it, along with the technique he’ll do it in. Will Green also contributed a goal, posed a threat and was assured in his tasks.

Jack Raper linked up certain things in midfield and can take a lot of confidence from this result and the past week as a whole given that he made his first team debut on Tuesday, whilst the front pairing of Max Adamson and Jack Goodman both caused Hull’s defence problems and were a significant threat. 

Max should have scored two (the miss happens; just get the next one in the same scenario on target) but he had no right to out jump the ‘keeper and bag the first goal in the way he did. That was really good - and it's what happens when you gamble, aren't afraid of getting hurt, and own something in the goalmouth. Plenty of other strikers I’ve seen at this level could learn a thing or two about that kind of bravery. On top of that, if he keeps making the runs he makes then he’ll pose problems and continue to put himself in genuine goalscoring positions and I’d back him to rack up a decent goals tally. He should be happy with how he did in his first start of the season. It was good to see Jack score twice because his link-up play and graft was evident from the moment he tested the 'keeper early on to the moment he walked off the pitch at the end of the game. He worked hard for the cause.

Of the substitutes, they all contributed something as well.

Tom Parkinson’s contribution from the bench was probably the best as he whipped two set-piece deliveries into great areas for attackers from his left-foot (one free-kick and the late corner). It was unfortunate that he didn’t score with the effort which got blocked and scrambled away late on - especially as I knew he’d get chances when he came on, but what he showed in roughly 30 minutes on the pitch was decent. Well done!

Of the others, Harry Wood did everything right with his technique for his late chance and it’s just a shame that the ‘keeper somehow tipped it over. Nevertheless, if he repeats that same movement in similar situations, it’s inevitable that he’ll score via it sooner or later - so just keep doing that. Owen Scattergood claimed an assist with his unselfish work for Jack Goodman’s first goal; it was good play, and I’ll be buzzing for Scatts when he next scores and gets the goal he needs to re-ignite his own form infront of goal. Sam Brown drew the foul for the free-kick which led to the last goal and Freddie Allen slotted straight into the defence when he was brought on for the final quarter-of-an-hour (and didn’t play that ball which almost gave me a panic attack when he did it against Hartlepool).

Overall, there’s loads of positives to take from this performance because it was so dominant.

The lads are now four matches unbeaten; winning three of them, they haven’t yet conceded a goal from open play in six hours of football, there’s good partnerships which are developing (and blossoming in the case of the defence), the team's organisation has gone up a notch compared to last year, it’s vocal out on the pitch, there’s strong leadership on show from three or four players, I’ve heard Josh Lindley’s voice and seen his aggressive edge at last, and everything about this win was good. 

Tactically, it was spot on and when Hull do their own analysis, it'll be a long morning, afternoon, evening and through the night experience.

There’s many reasons to be confident and I’m looking forward to the next game against Bradford City because that one (plus the games against Grimsby Town) are as tough as things are going to get and will be a real marker to see where this Rovers team are at right now.

Team: Jake Oram, Will Flint, Charlie Petch, Jak Whiting (Freddie Allen), Alex Fletcher, Will Green (Tom Parkinson), Josh Lindley, Faris Khan (Harry Wood), Jack Raper (Sam Brown), Max Adamson (Owen Scattergood), Jack Goodman.