Gainsborough Trinity 0 Doncaster Rovers 2: Darren Moore watches on as Rovers roll on in pre-season

New boss Darren Moore watched from the stands as Doncaster Rovers ran out comfortable winners in their second pre-season friendly at Gainsborough Trinity.
Gainsborough Trinity v Doncaster RoversGainsborough Trinity v Doncaster Rovers
Gainsborough Trinity v Doncaster Rovers

Ben Whiteman and John Marquis scored in the first half as Doncaster dominated against their Northern Premier League hosts, who featured Rovers youth product Harry Middleton in their ranks.

Moore was very much on a watching brief with U23 boss John Schofield continuing to marshal the team, Rovers brought a high energy approach from the first whistle and pushed on with predictable attacking dominance.

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Over-eagerness perhaps proved their downfall in the early stages with ambitious passes failing to find their target.

But as the first half wore on they produced some impressive interplay to ensure there were plenty of players in advanced areas.

Alfie May fired wide with an early effort after charging across the face of the box.

It was left to Gainsborough's trialist keeper to keep Rovers out. Madger Gomes exchanged passes with May to take him into the box but his shot was tipped wide.

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May really should have given Rovers the lead on 15 minutes. Whiteman saw a shot from distance parried with May darting in for the follow-up but he went for power over placement and smashed well over the bar.

The deadlock was broken on 24 minutes with a sublime finish from Whiteman.

Receiving the ball 20 yards out, he shifted it onto his right foot and placed it into the bottom corner.

The lead was doubled just after the half hour mark. Tom Anderson lofted a superb ball out from the back which sent Marquis racing clear before he finished smartly beyond the keeper.

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Whiteman struck the post with a rasping drive from 20 yards as Rovers grew in confidence.

It was all change for the second half with new signing Ben Sheaf handed his first minutes from the club since his loan switch from Arsenal.

Former Mansfield Town player Will Atkinson featured at right back as a trialist but is currently with Rovers for fitness purposes only.

As against Rossington, the side for the second period was a more youthful group and certainly brought the energy in the early stages of the half.

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But what let them down was the quality of the finishing as they failed to convert dominance into goals.

Sheaf demonstrated a stunning range of passing and was mere inches from playing in Max Watters with a through ball from inside his own half.

Watters turned provider himself moments after, sliding in Alex Kiwomya who looked destined to score only for his clipped shot to be turned wide by the keeper.

The same two players combined again, with the Gainsborough keeper beating Kiwomya to the ball while Watters sent his first time effort from the follow-up wide.

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It was not to be Kiwomya's afternoon in front of goal as he missed connecting with a flashed ball from Watters by mere millimetres late.

And he drilled wide from a superb position in the dying moments before firing straight at the keeper after being played clean through.

Rovers almost conceded late on but were indebted to a superb save from Louis Jones, who tipped a long range effort wide of the post at full stretch.

ROVERS 1ST HALF: Lawlor; Halliday, Wright, Anderson, James; Whiteman; Blair, Gomes; Coppinger; May, Marquis.

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ROVERS 2ND HALF: Jones; Trialist, McLean, Blaney, Amos; Sadlier, Sheaf, Prior, Kiwomya; Watters, Longbottom.

SUBS (not used): Horton, Boocock, Greaves, Walker, Gibbons, Hasani.

GAINSBOROUGH: Trialist, Topliss, Green, Russell, Hotte, Stainfield, Trialist, Middleton, Worsfold, Allot, Trialist. Subs: Chapman, Maguire, Davie, Young, James, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist.

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