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Doncaster vs WBA
 2 - 3 
Date: 
10/04/2010
Venue: 
Keepmoat Stadium
Attendance: 
12,708
Referee: 
J Linington

Match Sponsor:

Ice-Cream-Direct

Match Ball Sponsor:

Pacy-&-Wheatley

A warm, sunny afternoon brought the second placed team, West Bromwich Albion, to the Keepmoat Stadium for the first time. A win today for the Baggies will guarantee them promotion to the Premier League but the Rovers, after a couple of defeats, will want to bounce back and collect some points. They made one change from Easter Monday's game at Blackpool, James Coppinger failing a late fitness test and Jordon Mutch coming in as his replacement. The Rovers defended the South Stand end in the first half.

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The Baggies got the game underway, with the first five minutes spent sounding each other out. Then the Rovers set up an attack that brought a 25yard shot from Oster but he put it wide. A couple of minutes later and another Rovers attack finished with Hayter hitting a left foot drive from just inside the area that Carson tipped over the bar.The corner kick was well caught by Carson just before Martis got his head to it. Continuing on the attack, the Rovers forced another corner but nothing came from it. In the 10th minute, a long pass from Wilson in midfield was headed back by Emmanuel-Thomas for Chambers to take the ball into the penalty area but his shot was blocked. Minutes later, Wilson and Mutch combined in midfield to give Wilson a shot from 20yards but he was wide. It was the 18th minute before the Baggies got in a serious attack when Brunt, on the left, got over a cross for Bednar, who barged O'Connor out of the way but his effort was blocked and Cox put the rebound wide. Two minutes later and Mutch, for the Rovers, was played through on goal but as he was about to pull the trigger the ball was whipped away by a defender. The Rovers were having the better of the possession and Emmanuel-Thomas had a go from way out on the right but put it high and wide. Then a free kick to the Rovers, 25yards out and to the left of goal, was teed up for Emmanuel-Thomas to have a crack but it was straight at Carson, who saved comfortably. However, in the 31st minute, the Rovers were penalised just outside the penalty area to the left of goal. DORRANS took the kick and blasted past the wall into the far corner of net. This was against the run of p-lay but it inspired the visitors to get more into the game. A cross from Brunt on the left to Koren on the right was met in the middle by Cox but he slid it wide of the far post. Five minutes to the break and Brunt put a free kick from 25yards wide. Straight down to the Baggies end and Emmanuel-Thomas, on the Rovers right, swung over a long ball to Heffernan on the left. Oster then received and gave it to the overlapping Roberts, whose cross was played back by Heffernan to Oster but his shot was high over the bar. A "goal" by Brunt, for West Bromwich, after 44 minutes was chalked off for offside. The next minute brought a free kick to the Rovers way out on the right touchline that Emmanuel-Thomas put into the six yard box where Carson failed to hold the ball but there wasn't a red and white shirt available to follow it up and it was cleared. Straight to the other end and into added time, Chambers, in his own penalty area, failed to see Brunt behind him as he headed back to Sullivan. The Albion man got there first, Sullivan blocked his effort but BRUNT followed up to stab it into the net. The whistle went immediately for half time.

Half time - Doncaster Rovers 0 West Bromwich Albion 2

The Rovers got into their stride straight from the re-start and inside two minutes had pulled a goal back when EMMANUEL-THOMAS turned his man in the box and from 15yards hit a low drive past the keeper. This stung the visitors into action and Bednar cut in from the right a few minutes later to see Sullivan beat out his shot at the near post. Ten minutes in and Reid, for the Baggies, headed wide from a corner and then Cox shot wide a few minutes later. Past the hour and a low cross from Roberts on the Rovers left was dummied by Mutch for Heffernan to get in a strike from 20yards but Carson saved comfortably. The Rovers tried hard over the next ten minutes to get on level terms but on 73 minutes the Rovers fell further behind when some indeterminate ball-play on the Rovers right of defence gave Brunt the chance to get in a perfect cross to the far post for the onrushing BEDNAR to thump into the back of the net. Into the last fifteen minutes and Oster, on the Rovers left, put a cross to the far post where Hayter headed over the bar. Shiels then had a 20yarder saved and then the same player a minute later received from Oster on the left and hit a tremendous shot which Carson pushed out for a corner. In the 85th minute the Rovers won a free kick on their right just outside the penalty area. Emmanuel-Thomas put the ball into the middle where HAYTER headed in. The last five minutes of normal time plus four minutes of added time had the Rovers hammering away at the Albion defence but they managed to hold out to take the victory that they needed to win promotion automatically with some games left to play.

Result - Doncaster Rovers 2 West Bromwich Albion 3

Teams - ROVERS - Neil Sullivan; James Chambers, James O'Connor, Shelton Martis, Gareth Roberts; John Oster, Jordon Mutch, Mark Wilson, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas; James Hayter, Paul Heffernan 

Subs used - Waide Fairhurst for Heffernan 79mins; Adam Lockwood for Chambers 79mins; Dean Shiels for Mutch 79mins;

Subs not used - Sean McDaid, Sam Hird, Ben Smith (GK)

Cautions - Martis

West Bromwich Albion - Scott Carson; Steven Reid, Jonas Olsson, Gabriel Tamas, Marek Cech; Robert Koren, Youssuf Mulumbu, Graham Dorrans, Chris Brunt; Simon Cox, Roman Bednar

Subs used - Giles Barnes for Cox 64mins; Ishmael Miller for Bednar 77mins;

Subs not used - Joe Mattock, Chris Wood, Abou Meite, Andwele Slory, Dean Kiely (GK)

Cautions - Reid

Coral

West Bromwich Albion (A)
The Rovers just lose out as West Brom take the points and automatic promotion
 Match Information
 
  Doncaster Rovers West Brom
Goals : 2 3
Possession : 55% 45%
Shots On Target : 9 7
Shots Off Target : 4 3
Corners : 6 1
Fouls : 5 10
Most Fouls : Hayter (3) Cech (2)
Yellow Cards : 1 1
Red Cards : 0 0
 
Scorers :
Emmanuel-Thomas 47
Hayter 85
Dorrans 31
Brunt 45 + 2
Bednar 73
 
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