Alfreton Town 2-3 Doncaster Rovers

Alfreton Town 2-3 Doncaster Rovers

Pre-Season Friendly

Tuesday 8th July 2025

Two x 60-minute games and a very experimental feel about the whole thing, but it was Doncaster Rovers who came out on top in this pre-season encounter at North Street as the difference between levels showed.

You can’t go reading too much into what was on show as both teams put out a different 11 in each 60-minute game to ensure everyone got a decent run-out. Arguably the first 60 minutes contained Alfreton’s more ‘regular’ team of season veterans who’ve been there, done it and got the t-shirt in the National League North, whereas their second team contained more trialists shaped up in an experimental formation.

Donny meanwhile, despite having 6 or 7 players absent, blended new signings into their line-ups in both halves - showing their depth, whilst even throwing in a youth teamer in Harry Glaves who wore No.38 and played the second game/half (however you choose to describe it) at right-back.

One constant trend throughout the game is that Donny had some nice passages of play and their ball retention was decent - impressively so at times, albeit despite having a goal ruled out for offside in the first five minutes, they thereafter struggled for a while to break through Alfreton’s resilient and organised backline.

Alfreton’s style at NLN level is well-known. Organised, physical, strong, direct and reliant on set-plays - and it wasn’t a surprise that Adam Lund’s renowned long-throws led to some dicey moments in the Donny goalmouth early on, whilst his runs at corners (when Alfreton finally won a couple) nearly led to an opener too.

0-0 after 30 minutes, the scoreline soon changed when Matty Pearson went diving into a challenge inside the box and didn’t win the ball which presented Alfreton with a penalty which was duly converted by the grateful Josh Clackstone. However, Donny weren’t behind for that long and got back on level terms when a powerful Billy Sharp effort was parried by Reds ‘keeper George Willis into the path of Damola Ajayi who followed up on the rebound.

One good thing about the first game is that there was a lot of physicality to it - something Grant McCann will probably have been pleased about, and in one amusing incident just before half-time, Jack Senior and Alfreton’s No.9 were involved in an off-the-ball tussle and scuffle having clearly become rattled by one another. In another instance, Adam Lund was at the centre of a similar battle out on the other flank when he’d ventured wide.

1-1 after 60 minutes, with 22 completely new players on the pitch, the second game/half wasn’t anywhere near as physical and - for the period between 60 minutes and 75-80 minutes, DRFC really got on top and retained the ball better than at any other stage of the night. Luke Molyneux was often at the heart of it but when the turnaround was completed, it was George Broadbent - fresh from signing a new contract last week - who got the goal, steering home a low shot from the edge of the box.

By the final 30 minutes of the night, the game had lost a bit of its tempo/intensity and dropped into a lull but there were still two further goals. Donny went 3-1 up thanks to Brandon Hanlon slotting home from inside the box (albeit questions ought to be asked of the defending as Alfreton’s defence had chances to clear their lines but didn’t), then - in the final five minutes - came the goal of the night as Alfreton’s big 6ft5 (officially unnamed) trialist arched his body superbly to steer home a cross on the half-volley and give the Reds half a hope of going on to pinch an equaliser. Something that, ultimately, never materialised.

The same trialist looked sharp over ground - especially outpacing his man in a foot race to get to the ball in the corner earlier on, was generally good with his hold-up play, and it wasn’t a surprise to see him bag yet again. It’s what he does best and his proven track record at NLN level over the last two years (something like a goal every 120 minutes) is outstanding for his age. Pleasure to see him back amongst the goals!

Overall, you can’t really read too much into the result/game as a whole.

It’s pre-season, the main focus is about getting minutes into players legs and both line-ups/formations were so experimental anyway. But one thing that did stand out is how well Donny retained the ball on a pitch that was dry and bobbly in lots of places. There’s still work to do in other areas (more so defensively I think) but that ball retention was alright - and when you consider there’s 6 or 7 players who were absent and could probably do a job if they’d been fit, that depth certainly looks to be stronger than certain other teams in League One who’ve been reliant on their U21s so far this pre-season (e.g. Barnsley). 

That’s a sign that bodes well and whilst they probably won’t get promoted, I don’t think they’ll get relegated either!