Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 0-1 Shrewsbury Town (U18s)

Doncaster Rovers (U18s) 0-1 Shrewsbury Town (U18s)

EFL Youth Alliance Cup

Monday 12th December 2022

Doncaster Rovers’ hopes of progressing to the Quarter-Finals of the EFL Youth Alliance Cup look to be all but over for another year following this late defeat to Shrewsbury Town.

A stalemate seemed inevitable until the visitors stole the three points on 83 minutes when one of their players was afforded too much space on the edge of the box and duly hit a well-struck drive which gave Jake Oram no chance.

Played on the 4G pitch next to the Eco-Power Stadium, there was a really chilly feel about things on what the Met Office have since confirmed to be the coldest day in the UK since 2010.

If freezing temperatures and a low mist/fog weren’t bad enough, the iced-over pitch on the adjacent athletics stadium just made it feel even colder, so it wasn’t a surprise to see most players in a DRFC shirt wearing a base-layer underneath as they tried to protect themselves from the biting weather. 

With both teams’ record in the group stage mirroring each other ahead of this game, the winners were always going to take a big step towards securing top spot - although for the first 25 minutes there wasn’t too much to write about and, beyond that, it looked for a long time that a 0-0 draw was the probable outcome.

Rovers began well enough, then Shrewsbury got back into the game for a bit, but there wasn’t anything major in terms of chances - just a lot of turnovers of possession in midfield as the two teams tried to keep warm and get a feel for things.

Jake Oram made the first save of the afternoon in routine fashion when a Shrewsbury player tried his luck with a low shot from the edge of the box and a stoppage followed soon afterwards at the other end when Salop’s No.6 landed on his wrist/arm whilst trying to win the ball in the air. His injury meant he had to be replaced - and such was the freezing cold that whilst he was down on the deck receiving treatment, his ‘keeper rushed to the touchline to stick on a jumper underneath his fluorescent yellow shirt to try and feel just a wee bit warmer.

The remainder of the first half was livelier as Rovers finally mustered up a few mini-openings and the game developed an ‘edge’ which meant the intensity was better.

Rovers looked threatening down the left flank at times and when Jak Whiting played a ball over the top which Jack Goodman was able to run onto, he was brought down close to the touchline after turning away from his marker. That paved the way for a free-kick albeit Harry Wood’s delivery into the box was cleared.

Petch then had a shot blocked a few minutes later as Shrewsbury continued to defend their box solidly and a couple of inswinging corners by Wood towards the end of the half also got dealt with - included one right on the half-time whistle which tested the ‘keeper. Wood also thought he should have been given a spot-kick when he went down under pressure close to the byline although nothing was forthcoming from the referee.

At half-time, other than a very warm drink, it was clear what Rovers needed to do was bring the ball under control much better in midfield and other areas, keep it for longer, and be more patient in their build-up play. At times, the play was too frenetic, it was too rushed (and that’s from both teams) and it led to multiple turnovers in possession which helped nobody.

Rovers were probably slightly the better of the two sides but a sometimes high defensive line also meant they were susceptible to balls over the top - and Shrewsbury almost got in via this method on a couple of occasions.

There was a positive start to the second half by DRFC because within a couple of minutes, they’d gone close as Goodman forced a save (albeit an easy one from a back-peddling ‘keeper) when he got his head to an Alex Fletcher cross and another decent delivery just a few minutes later also came to nothing.

Nevertheless, most of the play remained tight in midfield.

Rovers lacked a ‘killer’ ball as play broke down in the final third on various occasions and, amidst the biting cold, Shrewsbury had a tendency to go long in their own search for an opener as Oram was forced into bits and pieces of work.

Around the midway point in the second half, interim youth team boss Frank Sinclair made two quickfire changes which coincided with Rovers getting back on top and having some decent chances. Max Adamson (who would have started this game had it not been for a dodgy sandwich) replaced Josh Lindley - who won quite a few balls in his hour or so on the pitch, and Owen Scattergood was also replaced by Will Green.

The switches almost proved fruitful because on 70 minutes, Adamson broke between the lines only to be forced wide and see his low cut-back gobbled up by the ‘keeper who read the danger when Goodman was waiting inside the six-yard box. The Salop stopper then denied Green a few minutes later when Wood’s flick and Goodman’s dummy afforded the substitute a shooting chance, before the ‘keeper was also able to get hold of the resulting loose ball.

Then, on 79 minutes, undoubtedly Rovers’ best chance of the game came the way of Adamson who found himself in a one-on-one but yet again it was the visiting ‘keeper who came out on top by reading his strike and making a save with his foot; the loose ball this time being cleared away by the defence.

Despite Rovers’ growing pressure, Shrewsbury had other ideas.

They’d already forced Oram into a decent save following a shot from the edge of the area with about a quarter-of-an-hour to go and it was from a similar position that they broke the deadlock on 83 minutes. Rovers couldn’t properly clear their lines and an attacker in a blue and yellow shirt fired a precise drive into Oram’s bottom-right corner which he had no chance of saving.

At 1-0 down, Rovers did muster up one last chance when they won a free-kick on the edge of the box in the last minute of normal time but Green, who has found the net from similar positions already this season, watched his free-kick clip the wall before the ball was hurriedly cleared to safety.

It proved to be one of those days as Shrewsbury held on to get the win - and it means they’re now favourites to win the group.

So long as the Shrews avoid defeat to Accrington in their final group game, then Rovers’ participation in this competition will be over (albeit Rovers still have a fixture to fulfil against Accrington on a date TBC at some point in the New Year).

Overall though, this won’t be a game that lives for very long in the memory.

Rovers created a few chances in the latter stages but will still feel frustrated that they didn’t create much more in the final third throughout the 90 minutes. There wasn’t much between the teams and for most of the game, it was tight and scrappy with loads of turnovers of possession. Individually, there were a few alright contributions - and Shrewsbury’s ‘keeper deserves a mention for keeping a clean-sheet because every aspect of his game was okay, but no outfield player on either team really took things by the scruff of the neck and ‘dominated’ matters to be head and shoulders the best player on the pitch, but that was largely down to the weather because no matter how much anyone ran, how much anyone applied themselves, or how great the intensity was, it was so cold that it made it difficult for players on both teams to just concentrate on playing football rather than concentrate on keeping warm.

Probably the biggest positive of the afternoon from a Rovers perspective is that Ethan Harrison got a run-out for the final few minutes; his first appearance since the draw at Rotherham in August, and if he’s able to stay fit, he could become a big focal point in the Rovers team when the games programme resumes in the New Year!

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