Doncaster Rovers talking points: An ideal start as new boys shine but injury déjà vu strikes

Just the start Rovers needed

It wasn't a perfect day at the office but three points and a clean sheet will certainly do for now. In the build-up to this game there might well have been a section of the fanbase overly-confident of a win against a team who can firmly be filed in the "mid-table League One side" folder.

But Exeter are a canny outfit, and they showed their danger in a handful of passages here. Had Sonny Cox been more precise with an early sighter, the outcome could well have been different.

"This was an established League One team we played against, with a wily manager who knows how to grind out results and some good players. So I'm pleased with our boys today," Rovers' chief Grant McCann reflected.

It's only a start, but a win - no matter how it comes about - was just what Rovers needed upon their return to this level.

Debutants shine

McCann's starting XI included five of his summer signings with the other three all getting varied amounts of minutes off the bench later on in the game.

Among those to catch the eye were centre-half pairing Connor O'Riordan and Matty Pearson. McCann said of the duo: "Connor, for his age, has played a lot. And Matty is experienced at a high level and he brings a lot of calmness. That's one area I'm really happy with, our centre-backs."

Goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala also came in for praise, especially for keeping focus in a game where he had precious little to do aside from a tidy smother to snub out Ilmari Niskanen at 0-0: "Timmy had to be switched on and he was ready. He's brilliant in terms of his agility and power to get down on those one-v-ones. I'm half-thinking was he going to trip their guy up there, but he had to be concentrated throughout."

A word too for Glenn Middleton, who put in some good crosses and displayed some fancy flashes during his 74 minutes on the pitch in a thoroughly impressive debut.

Match-winner picks up where he left off

Luke Molyneux will probably admit this wasn't his best game in a Rovers shirt. The stats show that only one of his 13 crosses or long balls reached its intended target as he toiled against a well-drilled Exeter defence. But that shouldn't detract from the nerve he showed to score the eventual winner from the spot late on.

On the eve of this match the winger spoke of how he wasn't ruling out emulating his outstanding numbers in the title-winning campaign. "I don't see a reason why I can't achieve some of the numbers that I did last year," he said. "Hopefully this year I'll take a few more penalties, if we get some, which can help!"

He duly stuck to his word when he stepped up to beat Joe Whitworth from 12 yards and clinch the win. Of the match-winner, McCann said: "He was really calm and went straight down the middle, which is difficult to save. He had a couple of chances first half. But he showed how threatening he is and he'll be delighted he's off the mark straight away."

Another opening day injury

The only sour note of the afternoon came midway through the first half when Jamie Sterry was involved in a sickening collision with Exeter's goalkeeper Whitworth.

After a couple of minute's treatment the full-back eventually exited the field but looked visibly groggy. McCann confirmed post-match that the vice-captain had suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone but that he's hopeful of a relatively quick return post-surgery.

"You see players playing with protective face masks," McCann said. "But I don't know if he'll need one of those or not. I just hope he's ok. He went straight to hospital. But this is why we've got good players in every position so it's opportunity knocks."

In a strange quirk of fate it's the second season running where a Rovers full-back has been injured on the opening day. James Maxwell suffered a fractured metatarsal late on in the win over Accrington Stanley a year ago and ended up spending two months on the sidelines.