Brett Pitman's first half strike condemned Rovers to their second home league defeat of the season.
august 2013 at the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster stSaturday, 31
Skybet League Championship
Doncaster Rovers 0 AFC Bournemouth 1
Referee - Mr Simon Hooper
Attendance – 6,769 (290 visitors)
A warm, pleasant late summer’s afternoon greeted Bournemouth on their visit to South Yorkshire. The Rovers team was the same that played at Charlton last Saturday, Paul Keegan having served his one match ban against Leeds United in mid-week.
Bournemouth made three changes from their last League match against Huddersfield Town last Saturday. Rovers defended the South Stand end in the first half.
The visitors got the game underway and went on the attack winning a couple of corners in the third minute. The second one led to a quick break by the Rovers but they were held up in the visitors’ penalty area.
Bournemouth were having the better of the midfield play in the first ten minutes but had only Arter’s shot from 25yards to show for it and that went wide.
Rovers won their first corner in the 13th minute but this led to Fraser breaking quickly for the away team and shooting from the edge of the area for Turnbull to save.
In the 20th minute, a cross by Daniels from the Bournemouth left was met with a diving header by Pitman, which thudded against the bar and away. Then Pitman put a free kick from a central position just outside the penalty area over the bar.
Rovers then moved forward and a cross from Cotterill, on the Rovers right, was put wide, with a glancing header by Coppinger.
Just before the half hour a low cross from Wabara on the right to Cotterill on the left was met first time by the latter from the edge of the area but Allsop made the save.
Then, on the half hour, a fee kick on the Bournemouth right, halfway in the Rovers half, was placed into the Rovers six yard box for PITMAN to bundle the ball over the line.
Rovers’ answer to that setback was Keegan shooting high and wide from 25 yards. Rovers were struggling against a team who were keeping the ball better whilst the Rovers passing went astray.
Time wasting was the order of the day for Bournemouth as time ran down to the break resulting in their keeper being booked.
Into added time and the best period of the game for the Rovers gained three successive corners. Whilst nothing resulted from them there were some hairy moments for the visiting defence for the first time in the match.
Half Time – Doncaster Rovers 0 Bournemouth 1
Rovers were straight on to the attack from the kick off and an early effort from distance by Cotterill was high and well wide.
Ten minutes in and a cross from Coppinger on the left fell to Wellens just outside the area but he fired well over the bar.
Then Brown won the ball and gave it to Robinson, who fired wide from 20yards. On the hour a good block by Jones as Ward shot for goal produced a corner for the visitors, quickly followed by another one but nothing came from either.
Then a cross from the Bournemouth left brought a good header that looked goal-bound until a flying Turnbull palmed it away and a free kick minutes later from Pitman went straight into Turnbull’s arms.
Rovers were well in it now but couldn’t find a clear strike on goal. In the 73rd minute Husband played the ball down the line to Wellens on the left. He passed inside to Coppinger, who hit a terrific strike from the angle of the area and just past the far post.
In the 82nd minute a cross from the Bournemouth right by Coulibaly was headed over by Arter from close range.
Rovers tried hard to the very end but there was no way through the Bournemouth defence.
Result – Doncaster Rovers 0 AFC Bournemouth 1 (Pitman 30)
Teams – ROVERS – Ross Turnbull; Reece Wabara, Bongani Khumalo, Rob Jones ©, James Husband; James Coppinger, Paul Keegan, Richie Wellens, David Cotterill; Theo Robinson, Chris Brown
Subs used – Mark Duffy for Robinson 68 mins; Billy Paynter for Cotterill; Harry Forrester for Wabara 77 mins;
Subs not used – Paul Quinn, Dean Furman, Luke McCullough, Jon Maxted gk
Cautions - Husband 30 mins; Cotterill 39 mins; Robinson 66mins;
Bournemouth – Ryan Allsop; Simon Francis ©, Elliott Ward, Steve Cook, Charlie Daniels; Ryan Fraser, Harry Arter, Marc Pugh, Shaun MacDonald; Lewis Grabban, Brett Pitman
Subs used – Mohamed Coulibaly for Fraser 71 mins; Wes Thomas for Grabban 89 mins; Tommy Elphick for Pugh 90+2 mins;
Subs not used – Andy Surman, Ian Harte, Darryl Flahavan gk
Cautions - Allsop 44 mins; Pitman 45 mins;