Ellery Balcombe on the learning curve with Doncaster Rovers

Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe insists he will take plenty of lessons from his unforgettable outing at Lincoln City - and not just his double penalty heroics.
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Balcombe saved spot kicks from Jorge Grant and Anthony Scully to help Rovers to a 1-0 win over the then-league leaders on Saturday

But he says the concentration levels required to keep a clean sheet under heavy bombardment by the hosts provided as much to learn from as his penalty saves, as well as conceding the second spot kick with a rash challenge just three minutes from time.

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“Lincoln are a good side as we could see and it was about keeping the concentration for 95 minutes,” he said.

Ellery Balcombe is congratulated after his double penalty save against LincolnEllery Balcombe is congratulated after his double penalty save against Lincoln
Ellery Balcombe is congratulated after his double penalty save against Lincoln

“It was a great learning curve for me.

“Obviously I made a bit of a rash decision with the penalty but it’s about bouncing back from it.

“If it would have gone the other way, I’d have been disappointed. I think I got a bit too carried away, a bit too into the game. I’ve got to learn to take the back seat a bit more and keep my focus.

Saturday’s performance was the latest in a string of impressive outings from Balcombe since he joined on loan from Brentford in early January.

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He attracted attention for his excellent performance in the defeat to West Ham United in the FA Cup.

But he says he could never take satisfaction from a game where he conceded four goals.

“Obviously conceding four goals is not what I’m here for and not what I want,” he said.

“It was a bit of a learning curve. It was a good experience but I didn’t enjoy it.“Overall, it’s been good since I came. The boys have been welcoming and there’s been some great team performances.

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“This is what I’ve come here for. League One experience and it’s going well so far.

“Darren Moore has got a lot of good things going on and it’s about building on that now.”

Balcome has kept clean sheets in his last three league outings for Rovers. Prior to his arrival, Rovers had not kept back-to-back clean sheets this season.

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