Rovers battled back to earn a point at home to Morecambe and extended their unbeaten league run at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Doncaster Rovers 1–1 Morecambe
Keepmoat Stadium.
Sky Bet League Two
Saturday February 4, 2017
Rovers battled back to earn a point at home to Morecambe and extended their unbeaten league run at the Keepmoat Stadium.
John Marquis levelled early in the second half after Rovers had trailed to Peter Murphy’s opener at the break.
Darren Ferguson named an unchanged starting XI from the 3-0 win over Yeovil Town, with Alfie Beestin replacing Will Longbottom on the substitutes’ bench.
The home side did much of the early pressing, with John Marquis having the first real effort on goal as he fired a shot over the cross-bar.
Morecambe thought they had taken the lead after a quarter of an hour. Michael Rose’s free-kick from the right found its way into the back of Ian Lawlor’s net, but the assistant had his flag up for offside.
Rovers then had two opportunities to go in front. Andy Williams broke through one on one with Barry Roche but was denied by the Morecambe goalkeeper, before Conor Grant’s effort was cleared off the line.
The visitors made Rovers pay for the missed chances as they scored the opener on 24 minutes. A corner was worked out to captain Peter Murphy at the back post, he mis-hit his first effort but then cut back on to his left foot before curling the ball into the far corner.
Williams had a great chance to equalise a few minutes before half-time, he met Matty Blair’s cross at the near post but was once again thwarted by Roche.
HALF-TIME | Rovers 0 Morecambe 1
Rovers came out firing in the second half and it wasn’t long before they had their equaliser. Coppinger’s ball in from the left found Marquis 10 yards out, and the in- form front-man remained calm to notch his 18th goal of the season.
The home side then looked to put more pressure on the Morecambe defence and had a strong appeal for a penalty as the ball appeared to strike the arm of Kevin Ellison, but the referee waved away the protests.
Jordan Houghton was the next man to go close for Rovers, Blair’s floated ball in picked out the Chelsea loanee but he could only head over.
With minutes left on the clock Marquis, looking for his second of the game, let fly from distance but saw his effort sail wide of Roche’s left hand post.
Rovers piled forward in search of a late winner, but the Morecambe defence held firm and denied the home side all three points.
FULL TIME | Rovers 1 Morecambe 1.
ROVERS GOALS | Marquis (56).
MORECAMBE GOALS | Murphy (24).
ROVERS | Lawlor, Mason, Butler, Baudry, Blair, Houghton (Middleton, 90+2), Grant, Rowe, Williams (Mandeville, 66), Coppinger (C), Marquis. ROVERS SUBS | Etheridge, Wright, Alcock, Keegan, Beestin. BOOKED | Butler, Mason, Baudry.
MORECAMBE | Roche, McGowan (Duckworth, 85), Kenyon, Edwards, Mullin (Turner, 71), Murphy (C), Molyneux, Ellison, Wildig (Evans, 71), Whitmore, Rose. MORECAMBE SUBS | Nizic, Wakefield, Conlan, Jordan. BOOKED | Rose.
ATTENDANCE | 6,096 (184 away).