Saturday, 5th January 2013 at the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster
Npower League 1
DONCASTER ROVERS 1 Colchester United 0
Referee – Mr Richard Clark
Attendance – 6,373 (183 visitors)
A dry, fine and mild afternoon presented itself for the game against Colchester United, perfect footballing weather. The Rovers introduced loan signing from Peterborough United, Emile Sinclair, in place of the suspended Billy Paynter and had new signing Lee Fowler on the bench. The visitors kicked off in the first half, with the Rovers defending the South Stand end.
Each side had a sight of goal in the opening five minutes, with Jones heading wide for the Rovers and Wordsworth firing wide from 30yards for the visitors. The match then settled down and in the 10th minute Syers had a cracking shot from 19yards blocked. A couple of minutes later and Wordsworth had a go from 15yards on the left but Woods blocked at the near post, the ball going out for a corner. Five minutes on and Wordsworth had another go from 30yards but put wide. In the 19th minute Sinclair had a good effort from 20yards that was just wide of a post. As time wore on the visitors began to control the game, with the Rovers looking a bit sluggish. Just before the half hour Colchester won a couple of corners, with Samuel eventually heading wide from close range and Woods punching away the second one. In the 40th minute the Rovers at last hit back by getting into the other half although the keeper wasn’t troubled. Then Bennett went down the left, passed inside to Syers, who shot wide from the edge of the area as he was tackled. Seconds before the end of the half the visitors had the ball in the net following a free kick but the referee had already blown for a free kick to the Rovers.
Half Time – Doncaster Rovers 0 Colchester United 0
The Rovers got the second half underway and were straight on to the attack. In the 52nd minute they were awarded a free kick on their right on the halfway line. A defender failed to clear at the far post and the ball was collected by Hume but Cousins blocked his shot with his legs and it was then cleared. The Rovers continued to press and minutes later Hume put wide from 25yards. In the 58th minute a good run by Izzet down the visiting left gave him a shot from the edge of the penalty area but it was well wide of the far post. On the hour a long throw from Spurr eventually landed at the feet of Hume at the far post but his shot was blocked and put out for a corner. This was cleared. A corner to the visitors five minutes later also came to nothing. Scrappy play from both sides over the next twenty minutes gave little for the spectators to cheer but that changed in the 84th minute when COTTERILL went on a good run down the Rovers left before cutting in and firing into the far bottom corner. That was good enough to take the points as the Rovers ran the clock down to the finish but they had made hard work of it.
Result – Doncaster Rovers 1 (Cotterill 84) Colchester United 0
Teams – ROVERS – Gary Woods; Paul Quinn, Jamie McCombe, Rob Jones ©, Tommy Spurr; David Cotterill, David Syers, Paul Keegan, Kyle Bennett; Iain Hume, Emile Sinclair
Subs used – James Coppinger for Bennett 67 mins; Lee Fowler for Sinclair 67 mins; James Husband for Cotterill 87 mins;
Subs not used – Shelton Martis, Andy Griffin, James Harper, Jon Maxted gk
Caution – Cotterill 84 mins;
Colchester United – Mark Cousins; Brian Wilson, Magnus Okuonghae, Michael Rose Josh Thompson; Kem Izzet, Marcus Bean, Anthony Wordsworth, Drey Wright, Dominic Samuel, Gavin Massey
Subs used - Jack Compton for Wright 69 mins; Andy Bond for Izzet 77 mins; George Porter for Samuel 87 mins;
Subs not used – Matt Heath, Clinton Morrison, Freddie Sears, Carl Pentney
Cautions – Wordsworth 90 mins; Massey 90+3 mins; Porter after final whistle