Jon Taylor’s emphatic case for inclusion: Analysis of Doncaster Rovers’ win at MK Dons

Darren Moore has made no apologies for the manner of his team selection, where individual form takes a backseat to the requirements of a single fixture as he plots his decisions.

But no player should ever fall into the trap of thinking it does not matter how they perform out on the pitch when it comes to future selection.

Thankfully, as hammered home in the win over MK Dons, few stumble through such pitfalls.

This was a victory and a performance typified by the manner in which opportunities were taken.

And it will have certainly given Moore food for thought when it comes to his selection process for AFC Wimbledon next weekend back at the Keepmoat.

Standing front and centre with his hand raised for a start is Jon Taylor, whose blistering performance off the bench was nothing less than game changing.

Eyebrows have been raised and, at times, heads scratched as to why the rapid winger had started just one of the previous six matches and came off the bench in only one other.

This, after all, is a player sitting second in both goal scoring and assist providing standings at the club. And one known for making things happen with his pace and directness.

Taylor’s lack of recent game time has been the single biggest indication of how steadfast Moore is in his methods of selecting his team.

But the 27-year-old delivered a timely and very public reminder of what he can bring to the side when given the chance. And he probably took a fair amount of frustration out on MK Dons in doing so.

In the opening 45 minutes at stadium:mk Rovers had toiled due to a considerable lack of space on the sizeable pitch as they were closed down constantly and struggled to play their way around.

It was a game crying out for the introduction on pace and directness to exploit the spaces behind the MK Dons full backs and there was little surprise when Taylor was introduced early in the second half.

His impact was swift and significant.

To their credit, Rovers did not simply hoof balls into the channels for Taylor to chase. But they began to look for him constantly, either with passes out of the middle to long passes down the sides.

Taylor gave veteran full back Dean Lewington nightmares with his speed, racing forward into space.

While the consistency of the winger’s end product does not always meet expectations, on this occasion he produced dangerous moments with almost every attack.

And he was a key player in the game’s decisive moment. Brad Halliday played a wonderfully weighted pass forward to send Taylor away in a race he was always going to win.

He powered towards the byline and cut a pass back for the onrushing Jacob Ramsey who rifled high into the goal with a first time strike.

By this time, Rovers had already been in the ascendancy with Taylor a major factor.

His introduction pushed Kieran Sadlier out to the left where he looked much more effective after spending the first half fruitlessly searching for routes through.

Devante Cole, who had been largely ineffectual, quickly became a focal point as he held up the ball and brought others into play.

And the stretching of the game afforded space for the likes of Ramsey and Ben Whiteman to produce delicious passing play that kept Rovers largely on the front foot until a late, late rally from the hosts where Seny Dieng’s supreme concentration produced a brilliant save from Joe Mason to secure the win.

It was a second half where chances were firmly grasped - Danny Amos again suggesting he will not give up the left back slot without a fight as Reece James returns to the fold this week.

And it was a 45 minutes where players washed away thoughts of poor first half contributions.

And where one diminutive Scouser stuck his hand in the air loud and proud.