A rainy evening greeted our top flight opponents tonight, Tottenham Hotspur from the Premier League in the 2nd Round of the Carling League Cup.

At kick-off time a gigantic rainbow arced over the East Stand. Both teams made changes from their last game. For the Rovers, Sam Hird replaced Jason Shackell in the centre of defence, Martin Woods, John Spicer and Lewis Guy came in for Dean Shiels, James Coppinger and Mark Wilson. The Rovers defended the South Stand end in the first half.

The Spurss kicked off but the Rovers got possession and progressed into the Spurs half. Keeping possession, in the 2nd minute they attacked down their left with Roberts, who put over a great cross that was met by a well timed volley from Hayter that  brought a fine one-handed save from Cudicini diving to his left. Stock then fired over from 30yards. In the sixth minute, Chambers went down the Rovers right and put a low cross into the area where Spicer met it with a fierce drive that Cudicini, diving to his left, palmed round the post for a corner. This was eventually cleared to Stock, who fired high and wide from 20yards. Two minutes later and Guy had a shot blocked. The Rovers had made all the running to this point but in the 9th minute, they found themselves a goal down after the Spurs first attack. The Rovers defence failed to clear on their right, the ball was played low into the middle where HUDDLESTONE pipped Hird to the bar and slotted past Smith. Two minutes later, good possession by the Spurs gave O'HARA the chance to rifle the ball into the roof of the net from the edge of the penalty area. Smith, in the Rovers goal, had touched the ball twice, each time to pick the ball out of the net. Stunned the Rovers might have been but they hit back in the 14th minute when Oster rattled in a shot from from 20 yards that Cudicini could only beat out. The next minute the home team moved out of defence with Stock to Oster, a good run then he swept it out to Hayter on the right, who had a go from the angle of the area but dragged his shot across the goal and out the other side for a goalkick. Sitting on a two goal lead, scored from only two chances, the Spurs were now confident enough to keep possession. On 22 minutes, the Spurs won a corner on their right, it came out to Dos Santos, who hit a low drive from 15yards through a crowd of players to bring a great save from Smith who got down to the ball and palmed it away. On the half hour the Rovers broke the stranglehold that Spurs had on the game at this stage for Stock to fire wide from 30yards. However, on 37 minutes, the Premier League side emphasised their superiority when Bentley put in a corner from the right to the six yard line where CROUCH, without getting off the floor, beat two defenders to head into the net. Back came the Rovers and after a good build-up Woods hit a shot high and wide from 25yards. Five minutes from the break and O'Hara, for Spurs hit a 30yarder just past the post following a corner. Two minutes later and Hutton, on the Spurs left, crossed for Bentley at the far post to head over the bar.  The break came with the Spurs burying three chances out of the four they had, a lesson that the Rovers could take to heart.

DONCASTER ROVERS 0 Tottenham Hotspur 3

The Rovers mada a change at the start of the second half, Webster replacing Lockwood. They then got the second half underway and three minutes in Guy received the ball in the middle of the pitch 25yards out and hit a left foot shot just wide of a post. Spurs hit back,with O'Hara, receiving from Hutton and from the edge of the area to the left curled a shot just over the bar. Following a good build-up by the Rovers Hayter got in an effort from 15yards but straight at the keeper. This was followed by a raid down the Rovers left where Roberts put over a good cross that Hayter couldn't control and the ball ran away from him. In the 53rd minute, perseverance by Hutton on the Spurs left enabled a cross to go in. It came out of the Rovers defence to BENTLEY, who hit a left foot shot into the far top corner for goal number 4. Two corners followed for the Spurs but they were defended. After 57 minutes a free kick on the Spurs left from Bentley was met by Crouch running in but his header was way off target. On the hour the Rovers, after a few minutes of pressure were awarded a penalty when Corluka handled on the floor. The referee had played a good advantage but Guy had been halted and so he gave the penalty. WOODS took the kick and hammered it into the keepers right hand corner. Five minutes later and Guy coming in from the left hit the bar, the ball's bounce off the ground going well over Hayter's head as he came in. Down at the Rovers end Pavlyuchenko hit a shot from 15yards on the right that Smith blocked with his legs. The Spurs forward followed up but was tackled.  However, on 69minutes, the Rovers had pushed forward leaving themselves wide open at the back. PAVLYUCHENKO was played in on goal and sild the ball past Smith as he came out. The Rovers, still playing their brand of football then won a couple of corners and followed this with Roberts putting over a good cross from the left that Guy on the far post pushed back to Fairhurst but his shot was wide. At the other end Pavlyuchenko put his shot over the bar from 25 yards. Minutes later and after good work by Dos Santos, Bentley hit a good shot from 25 yards that was just over the bar. As the end of normal time came up the Rovers forced a couple of corners from the second of which Webster rose to plant a header against the near post, the ball bouncing away. The final whistle went on a good game of football played in a good spirit, well handled by the referee and providing plenty of goals, with the majority going to the Premier League side.

Result - DO0NCASTER ROVERS 1 Tottenham Hotspur 5

Teams - ROVERS - Ben Smith; James Chambers, Sam Hird, Adam Lockwood, Gareth Roberts; John Oster, Brian Stock, Jon Spicer, Martin Woods; James Hayter, Lewis Guy

Subs used - Byron Webster for Adam Lockwood 46mins; Waide Fairhurst for Stock 59mins; Quinton Fortune for Oster 59mins;

Subs not used - Paul Heffernan, Mark Wilson, Dean Shiels, Neil Sullivan gk

Tottenham Hotspur - Carlo Cudicini; Kyle Naughton, Sebastien Bassong, Vedran Corluka, Alan Hutton, David Bentley, Tom Huddlestone, Geovanni Dos Santos, Jamie O'Hara; Roman Pavlyuchenko, Peter Crouch

Subs used - Kevin Prince-Boateng for Bassong 59mins; Danny Rose for Huddlestone 72mins; Dave Button for Cudicini 82mins;

Subs not used - Aaron Lennon, Wilson Palacios, Jermain Defoe

kyle