How the curtain came down on a miserable season for Doncaster Rovers at Walsall

The club's lowest league finish for 20 years was already guaranteed before kick-off but their final standing of 18th in League Two will still sting and underlines the scale of the rebuild required.

Exactly half of Doncaster’s games in the fourth tier this term have ended in defeat. Only basement boys Rochdale lost more matches (26).

A relatively meaningless final-day contest between two of the division's lowest scorers was unlikely to produce a classic although hosts Walsall put their foot down from the off with little to lose.

They should have led just six minutes into the game when poor defending allowed Tom Knowles to find Matty Stevens unmarked inside the six-yard box, who put the ball wide with the goal at his mercy.

Moments later Louis Jones looked unconvincing as he ushered an effort from Knowles wide, having initially tried to catch it.

Jones looked far more convincing when he denied Stevens from point-blank range with 14 minutes on the clock after the striker had beaten the challenge of several defenders.

Six minutes later, with Walsall still dominating, Kyle Hurst gave Doncaster's defence some respite when he stole possession just inside the opposition half and drove towards goal.

The winger tried his luck from just outside the box, only to see his shot fall the wrong side of the post.

That was almost the final meaningful action of the first period until the hosts squandered another chance to score on the stroke of half time.

Liam Gordon crossed for an unmarked Knowles to head home from close range but he couldn't generate any power on his effort, allowing a grateful Jones to collect.

The hosts were quickest off the mark again after the interval and Stevens might have done better when played through on goal by Isaac Hutchinson, with his effort hitting the side-netting.

Not long after Jones did brilliantly to keep out an effort from Hutchinson which took a wicked deflection on its way to goal.

The hosts kept coming as Rovers offered nothing in reply and with 58 minutes played they got their breakthrough when Conor Wilkson converted Gordon's cross from close range.

That finally kicked Doncaster into life and Aidan Barlow should have equalised with their best chance yet when he met Jack Degruchy's cross six yards out.

But he couldn't get a clean connection and Jackson Smith in the home goal was able to smother the ball.

Rovers enjoyed a moment or two of pressure after that but it was to be Walsall who scored next.

In the 75th minute Stevens cut the ball back for Hutchinson, who almost broke the net from 10 yards out, prompting more anti-Schofield chants from the away end which had begun earlier in the half.

With the game seemingly petering out Doncaster’s Bobby Faulkner set up a frantic finish when he fired in a half volley following an 84th-minute corner moments after Tommy Rowe had seen his stinging effort saved.

Barlow fired over just one minute later as Schofield's side went in search of an equaliser but that was the closest they came despite finishing the match in the ascendancy.