Doncaster Rovers 1-3 Bristol City
Doncaster Rovers 1 (Main 57)
Bristol City 3 (Freeman 10, Cunningham pen 33, Wilbraham 69)
Keepmoat Stadium
Tuesday 24th February 2015
Sky Bet League One
Table toppers Bristol City defeated Doncaster Rovers for the third time this season as Paul Dickov’s side suffered their second successive loss in League One.
Rovers made one change from Saturday’s away defeat at Port Vale, with Paul Keegan returning to the first eleven in place of Abdul Razak.
The visitors had the first chance from a set piece, Marlon Pack’s superb delivery was met by Aaron Wilbraham but he couldn’t find the target with his header.
Despite a fairly even start City took the lead inside 10 minutes Wilbraham’s pass deflected off unlucky Rovers defender Jamie McCombe, directly into the path of Luke Freeman who sprinted through on goal before his low effort got the better of goalkeeper Stephen Bywater.
Doncaster had a great chance to hit back though, Richie Wellens’ great ball into the box was superbly headed down by Harry Forrester into the path of Dean Furman, however the South Africa captain scuffed his effort and couldn’t test Frank Fielding’s goal.
Furman again was next to go close for Rovers, he got himself in another great position in the box, but was denied by a great block from the impressive Aden Flint.
However Bristol City doubled their lead from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute. After Andy Butler slid in, tripping Kieran Agard in the box Stuart Atwell awarded the visitors a penalty and Greg Cunningham stepped up beating Bywater with a fine penalty into the right corner.
Half Time: Doncaster Rovers 0-2 Bristol City.
For the beginning of the second half Rovers manager Dickov brought on strikers Curtis Main and Uche Ikpeazu as Doncaster looked to go gung-ho in order to reduce the deficit.
The change of tactics paid dividends for Rovers, with substitute Main getting his name on the score sheet for the second time in four games, he superbly cut inside from the left before unleashing a sensational 25-yard strike which cannoned off the crossbar to give Doncaster hope.
However City restored their two goal advantage, with Rovers dominating territory, Bristol hit Doncaster on the counter attack, Cunningham did superbly on the left flank, before floating a fabulous cross to the back post, where Aaron Wilbraham was waiting to pounce and it found it’s way into the back of the net, despite the best efforts of McCombe on the goal line.
There was then drama when the scorer of the third goal Wilbraham was involved in a challenge on Reece Wabara when he was collecting the ball for a throw in, causing a mass melee, with Wilbram and Cunningham showed yellow cards for the visitors and Wellens for Rovers.
Ikpeazu had the chance to pull a goal back from a Rovers set piece late on, but he could only guide his header over the cross bar.
In the final minute of stoppage time there was a goalmouth scramble in the Bristol City box, with McCombe and Ikpeazu involved, however neither get the ball past the scrambling defence with the ball eventually going out for a goal kick.
Full Time: Doncaster Rovers 1-3 Bristol City
Doncaster: Bywater, Wabara, McCombe, Butler, Stevens, Keegan (Razak 76), Furman, Bennett (Ikpeazu 46), Wellens, Forrester (Main 46), Tyson
Subs not used: Evina, Robinson, McCullough, Marosi
Cautions: Wellens
Bristol C: Fielding, Ayling, Flint, Williams, Little, Pack, Smith, Freeman (Wagstaff 90 +2), Cunningham, Wilbraham (Smith 89), Agard (Emmanuel-Thomas 90 +3)
Subs not used: Elliott, Richards, Bryan, Tavernier
Cautions: Cunningham, Wilbraham, Fielding