Doncaster Rovers were held to a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Notts County

Doncaster Rovers’ four-game wait for a first league win continued in a closely fought 1-1 draw with newly promoted Notts County.

Rovers made two changes from the team that drew 2-2 away at Stevenage. Sean Grehan was selected at right-back in place of midfielder Darren Robinson, while Brandon Hanlan was selected ahead of Hakeeb Adelakun out on the left wing with Grant McCann opting to play a 4-5-1 formation.

Isaac Hutchinson was on the scoresheet for Doncaster Rovers in their 1-1 draw with Notts County. | Howard Roe

placeholder image — Isaac Hutchinson was on the scoresheet for Doncaster Rovers in their 1-1 draw with Notts County. | Howard Roe

Notts County started the game brighter with Luka Smyth striking the crossbar after 17 minutes. They also went close around 10 minutes later when they forced Tommy Simkin into a bright save before Neill Bryne stepped in heroically to deny what would have been a straightforward goal from the rebound.

However, it was Rovers that opened the scoring through a close range strike from Isaac Hutchinson in the 36th minute. This marked the midfielder’s second consecutive goal on home soil after also scoring a consolation in the 3-1 Carabao Cup loss to Middlesbrough.

Rovers striker Alfie May tested the keeper with a good effort from distance in the early stages of the second half as McCann’s side began to enjoy a period of increased possession.

County levelled proceedings through a close range goal from Ollie Cooper in the 64th minute, in what ultimately proved to be quite a tightly contested second half.

Here are our player ratings after this evening’s showdown.

Doncaster Rovers player ratings

GK:Tommy Simkin - 6: Made an excellent save to deny Notts County’s Luca Smyth in the first half. Couldn’t have done much to stop the visitors’ opening goal.

RB: Sean Grehan - 7: Looked pretty solid in the right-back position, won a fair few tackles and didn’t let a lot get down his side. A good night’s work for the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international.

CB: Jay McGrath - 7: Steady defensively, won most of his aerial duels. Overall, a pretty decent display for the defender.

CB: Neill Byrne: 7: Made an heroic intervention to stop what would have been a certain Notts County goal in the first half. Was fairly steady on the ball. He’s made a decent start to his first full season with the club.

LB: Jack Senior - 6: Put a decent shift in and worked hard at both ends of the pitch. Was booked in the first half.

CM: Owen Bailey - 6: The skipper was back in a more familiar central midfield role for his 142nd consecutive start for the club. Battled hard throughout the game.

CM: Robbie Gotts - 8: Neat and tidy on the ball, kept things ticking well in the middle of the park. It was little surprise to see him get voted as the fans Man of the Match.

CM: Isaac Hutchinson - 7: Was in the right place at the right time to score his second goal for the club across all competitions. He’s continuing to grow in confidence following his summer move.

RM: Tommi O’Reilly - 6: The Aston Villa loanee showed glimpses of his promise but is still finding his feet at his new club. The best is still to come.

LM: Brandon Hanlan - 7: Created a bit of chaos that the Notts County defence struggled with at times and was heavily involved in Isaac Hutchinson’s opener. Justified McCann’s decision to put him in the team.

ST: Alfie May - 6: Tested the keeper with a nice shot from distance in the early stages of the second half. Benefited from playing alongside Hanlan. There’s still more to come from the experienced striker, who’s currently searching for his first league goal of the season.

Substitutions:

Jordan Thomas: 5: Didn’t have loads of time to make an impact but also failed to make a big impression.

Harry Clifton: 6: Worked hard and broke up play at times in his first match since returning from injury. Was booked in the closing stages.

Bayley McCann: 6: He’s had a bright start to the season and has more often than not made an impact from the bench. However, he wasn’t really able to impact the game as much as he’d like.

Leon Ayinde: 6: Definitley has pace and controlled the ball nicely in moments. Still needs time to settle after his summer move.

James Husband: N/A: Had less than two minutes on the field after coming on in the closing stages. Is likely to be an important player this season in his second spell at the club.