Gary McSheffrey made no fewer than ten changes to the side that beat Northampton Town 1-0 last weekend with only 18-year-old centre-back Bobby Faulkner retaining his place.
The result was a performance short on entertainment as a mixture of young professionals, youth-teamers and fringe players struggled to click, though there were some encouraging individual performances.
Here's how we rated the Rovers players.
2. Louis Jones - 8
Doncaster's man of the match, according to Gary McSheffrey. A vocal first appearance of the season for Jones who made numerous smart stops throughout to keep Newcastle at bay. Photo: HOWARD ROE, Howard Roe/AHPIX LTD
3. Charlie Seaman - 7
Very good defensively all night. Could have been quicker to help out on the overlap in the first period but otherwise a sound display. Photo: HOWARD ROE
4. James Maxwell - 6
A steady display from left-back for the young Scot upon his return to the side. Made a great break forward in the second half to try and create an opening, but his cross was too high for a teammate. Photo: HOWARD ROE