When you are playing teams at the top you need luck – something we are never over-loaded with here in Bournemouth.
It all started going wrong when Hollands had to withdraw before kick off, leaving Cooper (no midfielder) to come into midfield and Pearce (no right back) to come in at right back.
Shorn of our best player this season we needed to get off to a good start. Gareth Stewart saw to it that that wouldn’t happen with a calamitous error in the first minute. Following that we needed to settle and put pressure on Rovers nice passing football. Andy D’Urso saw to it that wouldn’t happen when he reduced us to ten men, sending off Cooper under huge pressure from Stock and Coppinger after the Cherries midfielder had made a strong challenge a few minutes after his first booking.
Had those three major factors not gone against us we may have had a chance against a decent if unspectacular Doncaster side. As it was – we were right up against it and they passed there way through the game to deservedly pick up three points.
We’d barely started sat down when the first goal happened. Just over the minute mark Roberts floated in a cross from the left and PRICE got in front of Gowling to send in a dolly header which 999 out of 1000 keepers would have caught under the cross bar or on a bad day tipped over. Calamity Stewart managed to do neither and fell backwards into the net flicking the ball into the top corner off the back of his hand.
Faced with this daunting start we chased shadows for awhile until fashioning a great move in the 8th minute which saw Cummings and Gradel combine on the break, pick Cooper out with a searching cross and his knock back was fired wide by Kuffour.
The football was pretty but precious little was happening. From one superb move in the 17th min Stock broke into the box to shoot inches wide to relieve the boredom, and then Andy Durso – referee extraordinaire – thought he’d better liven up the proceedings, justifiably booking Cooper and declining a potential Bartley penalty in the space of two minutes – but he wasn’t finished there….
Arguably the turning point of the game came on the 39th minute when Cooper challenged Coppinger feriociously but winning the ball. Price and Mccammon leapt in to Cooper as he was on the ground and all 22 players gathered around the ref as Cooper jumped up to altercate before being led away by Pearce. The two Donny lads were booked and Cooper recieved a second yellow – for what though, remains a mystery – as Mr Durso gave us the free kick. It was game over really from that point – playing a confident passing side with ten men never being ideal
HT – Cherries 0 Donny 1
The second half was the anti-climax expected. Vokes had a great header from Cummings corner cleared off the line on the 52nd as we had a rare period of possession and it looked as if set pieces would prove our best route. Kuffour headed a Cummings free kick straight at Sullivan a while later.
You always felt though that if any side were going to score it would be Doncaster who were enjoying a lot of the ball, particularly when Bradbury departed for a head injury leaving us with 9 men for 5 minutes. Mccammon headed a Coppinger cross just wide on the 63rd and then four minutes later was put through by Stock for Stewart to block one on one.
Donny kept knocking at the door and the inevitable happenned on the 71st minute when Wellens played in Price from the edge of the box for him to dink the ball over Stewart for his and Donnys second.
With the game over as a contest and Donny playing keep ball we fashioned two more chances before Andy Durso blew a halt to the proceedings: Kuffour shooting wide from a Vokes flick and Vokes beating four blokes superbly before crashing a shot just over.
FT – Cherries 0 Donny 2
Report by Neil Dawson
Player Ratings
Gareth Stewart
Looks like Gareth Stewart plays like Moira Stewart – 5.
Jason Pearce
Fell over a lot and uncomposed – better in the centre – 5.
Josh Gowling
Lost Price for both goals, not at old form – 5.
Russell Perrett
Growing in stature game by game – 6.
Warren Cummings
Solid and unspectacular – 6.
Lee Bradbury
Tries his heart out but obviously out of position – 6.
Marvin Bartley
Non stop endeavour and becoming essential – 8.
Shaun Cooper
Great right back, too slow of thought in midfield – 5.
Max-Alain Gradel
Quiet for him but O’Connor a great full back – 6.
Jo Kuffour
Out muscled and slower thinking than normal – 5.
Sam Vokes
Led Line superbly and our only threat – 7.
VERDICT
Finally a win for O’Driscoll over Bond, although probably his biggest role in it was signing Stewart seven years ago!! Referee spoilt it as a contest although without Holland I think we would have found it hard stopping a slick Rovers outfit. They look like they have what it takes to go up although I think their forwards lacked something but defence and midfield for them as good as anything in the division.
Report by Neil Dawson
