A metaphorical bookend but the impact of the summer lives on: Plot points from Doncaster Rovers’ draw with MK Dons

The pandemic-enforced six month break in play for Doncaster Rovers was bookended by clashes with MK Dons.

From March 7, with a pleasing away win, to September 12 and a reunion on the restart, 187 days later.

A long, concerning period in the club’s history which rocked the stability on which it prides itself and, for the time being, altered the approach to matters both on and off the pitch.

The metaphorical bookend of a reunion with MK Dons however covered only the matter of balls being kicked in League One football.

The ramifications of the six month break are still being felt, and likely will be for some time to come. We are far from back to normal.

That is even before you consider the empty stands at the Keepmoat. And given the tightening of social distancing regulations this week, the likelihood that the return of supporters will be pushed back even further.

The most noticeable impact on Saturday was on the pitch. After spending five months apart and being dragged through a six week pre-season that included unnecessarily timed forays into competitive football, Rovers looked undercooked.

They could not take the stranglehold in the middle of the park that the game sorely needed. They lacked cohesion and fluency going forward for long periods, which only helped the opposition dominate the ball.

Far from back to normal.

STORY OF THE GAME

For all of Rovers’ shortcomings in the match, plenty of credit must go to the visitors, who were excellent for so much of the afternoon.

They moved the ball incredibly well and always seemed to have options ahead of them to find. Full backs pushed so high up the pitch they created a four man front line at times.

Rovers struggled to keep track of them and it made for an uncomfortable introduction to the new season - certainly for the first 50-odd minutes of it all.

Regular performances like this one from MK Dons would likely see them among the big hitters in the division. Perhaps holding them back however was the lack of real threat inside the box, until they grabbed their late equaliser.

Most of their efforts on goal came from distance. Well-executed strikes that mainly served to shine the spotlight on new Rovers keeper Josef Bursik.

The Stoke City loanee, fresh from England U21 duty, pulled off a string of strong saves to keep out driven efforts from outside the box.

Bursik and his centre halves ahead of him, were to be credited for keeping the game goalless for so long.

The balance of the game truly shifted on 54 minutes when Rovers went ahead against the run of play.

Debutant Rayhaan Tulloch rescued a deep cross from Jon Taylor, dummied Regan Poole with a superb trick and played inside to Madger Gomes who struck first time, just inside the box, to curl in at the near post.

MK Dons were knocked off their stride and Rovers began to find theirs. They enjoyed more of the ball and brought their forwards into play, really for the first time.

Periods of pressure came from the visitors but Rovers’ back line looked capable of standing up to it until a brilliant one-touch passing move took defender Baily Cargill into the box before he finished smartly into the bottom corner.

A share of the spoils was no more than the visitors deserved, and no less than Rovers did.

EYES ON BURSIK

The goalkeeper’s Keepmoat bow was guaranteed to come under greater scrutiny after the impressive midweek performance from Academy graduate Louis Jones.

But Bursik turned in a strong performance that helped Rovers take something away from the game.

He was always well-positioned and showed strong hands to hold powerful shots from the likes of Cargill and David Kasumu.

His most eye-catching save saw him tip over the bar acrobatically after a rasping effort from the impressive Lasse Sorensen - his Stoke City team mate.

There was a moment of concern when he raced out of his box and missed a tackle after Rovers were woefully caught out by a rapid counterattack. But the brilliant recovery run of Taylor Richards and goal-saving tackle ultimately spared his blushes.

At Rovers, a goalkeeper will be judged plenty on his distribution.

Bursik consistently looked for quick options to get the ball out to, either short or further up the pitch. And he was not hesitant in his throwing or kicking.

There were several moments when he put the ball out of play with kicks as he tried to find men out wide. A tightening up on this should not be difficult to achieve.

DEBUTANT WATCH

It was a bold decision from Darren Moore to throw Tulloch and Tyreece John-Jules straight into action, but there was merit in his decision.

A fast and furious game was suited to having a pair of pacy and explosive players on the pitch - even if they had a combined three training sessions between them with their new team mates.

Fejiri Okenabirhie’s combative approach to holding up the ball might have helped Rovers enjoy more play in the opposition half but it was far from a poor performance from John-Jules, who was favoured in the lone striker role.

He battled well himself with strength and trickery, and showed a superb knack for winning fouls, which will no doubt come in handy.

Both youngsters showed tremendous confidence in their abilities for ones with such little senior experience.

Tulloch was fearless in his running and his willingness to throw in a trick along the way.

John-Jules produced a brilliant overhead kick attempt that narrowly flew over the bar. He was offside but the audacity of the move was impressive.

These two are going to be exciting to watch develop.