Saturday Night Takeaway: On the day supporters returned to stands, Doncaster Rovers were the crowd pleasers

But Doncaster Rovers did their best to ensure the attention was focused firmly on the pitch.

The sight and sound of around 1,000 supporters was undoubtedly welcome after more than six months of turmoil and worry both in and out of football.

But, selfishly, the sight of a superb, coherent and thrilling performance from Rovers was greeted with even more glea.

A week on from looking sluggish and a little disjointed, they had transformed into a rampant, fluent attacking force that would produce a statement victory to silence the noisy returning fans at The Valley.

After riding out an initial storm from the hosts, Rovers found themselves in front when Madger Gomes again struck against the run of play - his third goal in what has been a remarkable personal run of four matches.

And, just like against MK Dons, it was a goal that changed the complexion of the game and quietened the side that had been on top.

But unlike the performance a week earlier, Rovers took full command of the ball and dominated for much of the rest of the game - barring a spell after Charlton pulled back what proved to be a consolation effort.

They moved the ball superbly, found space and made intelligent runs. It was driven by a desire to add to their goals tally, always with the desire to remain in control.

When Charlton did find their way through, they were met with a defence that continues to grow in stature and provides the reassurance needed for the creativity that is developing ahead of it.

It will not always be like this. There will be opposition sides that do not afford Rovers the space that Charlton did.

But, adding to the pleasure from the fixture was the fact that even when Charlton altered their shape to add more presence in midfield, they largely failed to quieten Rovers.

They were quick, incisive and aggressive. And it was a joy to watch.

On a day when supporters were always going to be feeling a little more optimistic, this was Rovers at their crowd-pleasing best.

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