Fans of Doncaster Rovers and Burton Albion showed unity at the end of season finale on Sunday, enjoying the beautiful game together in the sunshine at Keepmoat Stadium.
The day began in earnest early on with representative sides from both club’s academies (at Under 9’s, Under 11’s and Under 13’s levels) facing each other on the 3G astroturf pitches available at Club Doncaster Academy.
There was also a keenly contested “Kicks” tournament which featured two representative teams for both Rovers and Burton in the Under 16 age group. The 6 aside competition saw Burton Yellows triumph 4-0 over Doncaster Edlington in the final before all participants entered the stadium to watch the game together.
The occasion wasn’t just restricted to youngsters, however, as the more senior supporters dusted their boots off for a game of Walking Football when the ‘Retro Rovers’ side played host to their Burton counterparts at the Club Doncaster Academy.
The game was played in high spirits from the start with both teams playing free flowing attacking football and Rovers eventually winning the game 10-7 in very hot conditions.
Andrew Sheldrake (Community Coordinator) “It was great to host Burton before their special day and meet likeminded players who share the same passion and enjoyment for the game as our team. The reputation of Retro Rovers for its passing football and sporting spirit continues to grow within the network of the game.”
With all the academy players and their families sat together in the East Stand, they went on a parade lap of the Keepmoat Stadium pitch at half time and were roundly applauded by both sets of fans.
Following the conclusion of a 0-0 draw – which sealed the visitors promotion to the Championship – the remaining academy age groups (Under 10’s, Under 12’s, Under 14’s) were left to face each other on the main pitch and round off a footballing feast.