- by Tony Bluff

A warm, dry but dull afternoon brought Sheffield Wednesday to the Keepmoat for the last pre-season friendly game. The Rovers defended the South Stand end in the first half.

The Rovers got the game underway and went on the attack but didn't trouble the keeper. Then, in the 5th minute, Sharp got away down the right and shot from distance, with O'Donnell collecting at the second attempt. The Wednesday then moved forward with Spurr down their left but an inviting low cross across the face of goal went begging. Spurr then repeated the dose with a higher cross but it skimmed off Coke's head and wide. In the 12th minute, a good build-up by the Rovers moving the ball from left to right for Dumbuya, with some neat footwork, to get past two defenders before giving inside to Stock, whose left foot shot went wide. Woods was wide with a 30yard effort and then Sharp was foiled by a good tackle from Buxton. Sharp latched on to a poor pass from the Wednesday left but the ball got stuck under his feet and the chance of a run on goal was lost. The Rovers got the first corner of the game on 19minutes but nothing came of it and minutes laterWoods was just wide from a free kick from just outside the penalty area. In the 24th minute a corner to the Wednesday was met by Buxton with a header at close range into the hard ground and the ball bouncing over the bar.Five minutes later and Woods shot high and wide from 30yards and a couple of minutes later Hayter had a shot saved. Then in the 37th minute, following a throw-in near the right corner, COPPINGER received in the penalty area ghosted past a couple of defenders and lashed the ball into the net from an oblique angle. The game ran down to the break, with the Rovers generally in charge, winning a couple of corners, from the second of which Stock fired just over from the edge of the area.

Half time - Doncaster Rovers 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0 

The Wednesday set the second half in motion and immediately threatened the Rovers goal but Mellor put wide. The Rovers then forced successive corners before the Wednesday hit back with a corner of their own. On the hour a terrific run down the right by Johnson took him to the angle of the six yard box before he blasted in a shot that was blocked by Woods at the near post for a corner. Mellor also got in a crack at goal from a similar position and won another corner, Successive corners followed for the visitors but nothing came from them. On 69 minutes, Mellor on the Wednesday right put in a low cross for Morrison to slide in but he put it wide. General play in midfield ensued as the match ran down to the close. Wednesday did get the ball in the net after 88minutes much to the delight of their large following but the flag had been up for some time for offside. A good match ended with the Rovers having got the only goal.

Result - Doncaster Rovers 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0

Teams - ROVERS - 1st half - Neil Sullivan; Mustapha Dumbuya,Shelton Martis, Wayne Thomas,James O'Connor; James Coppinger, Brian Stock, Simon Gillett, Martin Woods; James Hayter, Billy Sharp

ROVERS - 2nd half - Gary Woods; James O'Connor, Wayne Thomas, Adam Lockwood, George Friend; James Coppinger, Dean Shiels, Sam Hird, Josh Payne; James Hayter, Steve Brooker

Subs used - Trialist for Coppinger 64mins; Trialist for Hayter 64mins; Waide Fairhurst for Thomas 82mins;

Sheffield Wednesday - Richard O'Donnell; Jon Otsemobor, Darren Purse, Lewis Buxton, Tommy Spurr; Jermaine Johnson, Giles Coke, Darren Potter, Gary Teale; Marcus Tudgay, Paul Heffernan

Subs used - Neil Mellor for Tudgay 29mins; Aaron Jameson for O'Donnell 46mins; James O'Connor for Potter 54mins; Chris Sedgwick for Teale 54mins; Clinton Morrison for Heffernan 62mins; Liam Palmer for Johnson 65mins; Daniel Jones for Spurr 65mins;

Subs not used - Richard Hines, Luke Boden