Early starts, debutants, a surreal atmosphere and work to do: The big talking points from Doncaster Rovers' defeat at Blackburn Rovers

A near six month gap of inactivity courtesy of a pandemic that rocked the foundations of the football club is finally over.

Doncaster Rovers are back.

But the ramifications of that unprecedented gap between competitive matches look set to be felt for some time after a performance that delivered both promise and concern.

Promising because Rovers pushed a better prepared Championship side to the limit in a Carabao Cup tie that sprang into life in the second half.

Concerning because there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done ahead of the start of the League One campaign in less than a fortnight.

They had looked a million miles off the pace in a first half they spent firmly on the back foot as they were unable to dampen wave after wave of Blackburn attacks.

And when Lewis Holtby curled home a superb free kick on the half hour, predictions of a rout would not have been too harsh.

But Rovers emerged a different side after the break - more relaxed and confident in their own play.

They got on the front foot and quickly turned the game on its head.

Fejiri Okenabirhie did incredibly well to win a penalty with a smart turn into the area and then brushed himself down to score the equaliser from the spot.

And just after the hour, the unlikely figure of Madger Gomes smacked a low shot in from 20 yards to put Rovers ahead.

Again, the impact of the long break would tell as tired legs slowed the Rovers advance and brought Blackburn back into the game.

Joe Rankin-Costello hooked in from close range after a goalmouth scramble to equalise before a sloppy challenge from Brad Halliday on Amari’i Bell allowed Adam Armstrong to net the winner from the penalty spot.

AN EARLY START

A four week pre-season would hardly deliver suitable preparation time for a normal campaign.

After five months away from the training ground, it was never going to be enough.

That was particularly true against an opposition that had established match fitness for the intensive Championship restart and had topped themselves back up in training after a brief break.

During the first half there was little doubt that bringing the match forward by a week due to Blackburn’s international call-ups had delivered a significant negative impact to Rovers.

They struggled to contain the hosts, or to match their legs in the middle of the park as Blackburn passed rings around them in relentless pressure.

Rovers were forced to hit long clearances that only ever found Blackburn blue. And when they did get on the ball, there was a lack of coherency in passing with Ben Whiteman’s injury-related absence proving significant.

That improved dramatically after the break as Gomes and new boy Taylor Richards saw much more of the ball and began to bring team mates into play.

But the game-changing opening 30 minutes or so of the second half would not last, as fatigue set in and halted Rovers’ advances.

A few more weeks of preparation would have done them the world of good. But now those finishing touches will have to come amidst competitive football.

DEBUTANT WATCH

It proved to be a difficult debut for Brighton loanee Richards - but one in which he had the opportunity to show his quality on the ball.

Whiteman’s absence saw him asked to drop deeper than he would typically like. And the defensive responsibility he was asked to take on in the sitting role alongside Gomes seemed to weigh heavy on him in the first half, stifling his creativity.

There have been questions in the past over his workrate on the ugly side of the game, so it was promising to see how seriously he took the role.

But a quiet word at half time saw him relax and shake off the shackles. And he produced some quite wonderful passing play, particularly with lofted diagonal balls out wide which brought Jason Lokilo into the game and opened Blackburn up.

Also making his Rovers bow was goalkeeper Josef Bursik, who delivered a confident performance both in shot stopping and distribution.

He perhaps showed Holtby a little too much of the goal for his free kick but was otherwise highly composed.

FIRST TASTE

Competitive football behind-closed-doors was always going to be a surreal experience.

Blackburn’s decision to pipe crowd noise into an empty Ewood Park only enhanced the bizarre surroundings in which this cup tie was played out.

The hosts had been through it already during the Championship restart.

For Rovers there was a first real taste of socially distanced dressing rooms that allowed only the starting XI in, with substitutes getting ready in a directors’ suite.

Certainly other factors had a greater impact on the pattern of the game, but it is clear that Rovers still have some acclimatising to do to the current new normal of football.

WORK TO DO

One glance at the bench showed that Moore’s recruitment drive is far from over - and where it is likely to be concentrated going forward.

With only Whiteman and Reece James absent, there was an incredibly youthful feel to the substitutes as only Ed Williams would be classed as a full senior player.

What was lacking, and would have been even if the two injured players were available, was the lack of attacking options and like-for-like replacements for Rovers’ front four should they be needed.

Moore will be hoping his patience pays off over the next fortnight to ensure his matchday 18 looks a good deal stronger for the start of the League One campaign.