Five talking points from Doncaster Rovers’ dramatic 4-3 win over Rochdale

Tom Anderson secured a welcome three points for Doncaster late on after struggling Dale twice pegged them back.

Rovers opened the scoring through Charlie Seaman before Ben Close made it 2-0 after just nine minutes with a beautiful strike from outside the box.

But Rochdale hit back via Devante Rodney five minutes later and equalised when Ro-Shaun Williams put the ball into his own net two minutes after that.

Harrison Biggins restored the home side’s advantage only for Tyrese Sinclair to drag Rochdale level again.

Anderson stole the headlines in the 81st minute, however, when he converted from close range following a corner.

Tom Anderson

Whatever you think of the incident at Tranmere, Anderson deserves credit for his response against Rochdale.

The stand-in skipper saw his every touch booed by some fans in the first half – which was quickly drowned out by applause from supporters leaping to his defence – but stood tall and popped up with the winning goal to save his side’s blushes after they twice surrendered the lead.

Familiar Frailties

Rochdale are the second lowest scorers in the division but put three goals past Doncaster.

Rovers head coach Danny Schofield said they were fighting for their lives, having lost their last four games, so it was no surprise to see them go for it in attack.

Still, last night was the fifth time Doncaster have conceded three goals in a match this season.

Their defensive vulnerabilities continue to hurt them and they now have the third worst defensive record in League Two, with just four clean sheets this term.

Fractured Fanbase

The fact some fans booed Anderson while others applauded him tells you a lot about how divided opinion is among fans.

You will never get everyone on the same page, regardless of how well things are going, but the division could hurt Rovers on the pitch.

Rochdale boss Jim Bentley revealed his side aimed to exploit what he called the ‘toxic’ atmosphere at the Eco-Power Stadium. It nearly worked.

As for Anderson, booing his every touch will hardly inspire confidence.

The same fans calling for the board to be sacked were also jubilantly chanting about the club making its way up the Football League at 2-0. Make your minds up.

Slow Starters no more

Too often Doncaster have given themselves too much work to do in the second period after underwhelming first-half performances.

Before last night they had scored just six goals in the opening 45 minutes of games this season.

At 2-0 after just nine minutes they looked for a moment like they could be about to hand out a serious beating.

They even managed a third goal before half time.

Keep them out at the other end a little more often and life could be a lot easier.

Play-off Picture

Hear me out on this one. Perhaps one thing everyone can agree on is that Doncaster could be doing better.

But, despite the up-and-down nature of the first half of the season, they are just two points outside the play-offs.

The level of improvement required to break back into the top seven is probably not much.

Good recruitment in January and some more fine-tuning of their new style might be enough to bridge the gap.

Rovers have reduced ticket prices for their match at home to Carlisle United on New Year’s Day, with tickets priced £15 for adults and £1 for kids in the Family Stand.