Saturday Night Takeaway: Doncaster Rovers' momentum shows no signs of slowing after impressive win over Burton Albion

Add ruthlessness to the boxes that Doncaster Rovers have ticked during their brilliant run into the upper reaches of League One.
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They demonstrated it in spades despite not being at their most fluent best in the 3-1 win over Burton Albion which pushed them further up the table.

Goals from Fejiri Okenabirhie, Ben Whiteman - from the spot again - and Taylor Richards secured a fourth successive win and kept the momentum machine motoring on.

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Though their hosts at the Pirelli Stadium sit bottom of the table, again it was proven that there are no pushovers in the division.

Taylor Richards celebrates his goal at Burton with Jon Taylor. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIXTaylor Richards celebrates his goal at Burton with Jon Taylor. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIX
Taylor Richards celebrates his goal at Burton with Jon Taylor. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIX

Rovers were made to work in a toilsome first half but scored all three goals at the right time to ensure they were on top and saw out the test in relative comfort.

Winning when not at your best? Well, you know what they say about sides that can do that and on a regular basis.

A comfortable afternoon might have looked on the cards when Rovers suppressed a promising start by Burton when Okenabirhie darted into the box to finish off a Cameron John cutback in a sparkling move started with a sublime ball from Richards.

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But Burton battled, denying Rovers space in the middle of the park and showing threat on the counter, with former loanee Niall Ennis a lively presence.

Rovers grew in confidence but were hit when a clumsy challenge from Richards on Joe Powell saw referee Carl Brook point to the spot. Lucas Akins fired home confidently from the spot on 44 minutes.

But deep into first half stoppage time, Rovers struck again to take the advantage into the break. Okenabirhie was wrestled to the ground by Michael Bostwick and Whiteman slammed in a penalty.

The game continued to be open after the break until it was effectively put to bed with half an hour to go.

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Richards atoned for his sloppy penalty concession with a goal of real quality as he galloped forward and curled a beautiful effort home from 20 yards.

Burton looked done and dusted at this point and struggled to muster any real threat in the remaining time.

Rovers must take some credit for the composure they showed in the second half and the fact they did not switch off, as they have done when in comfortable positions in recent matches.

This was another example of half time delivering a reset for the team that they profited from. The energy and alertness in the middle of the park was much improved in the second half, with Richards himself highlighting that.

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There was even the opportunity to switch things around as time ticked by, getting vital moments of rest into players with the busy period showing no signs of abating.

Also showing little sign of slowing down are Rovers themselves, with a strength in their recent performances to match the impressive run of results.

We will not mention at this stage just where Rovers will sit in the table if they are victorious on Tuesday night against Shrewsbury Town.

That is the way Darren Moore and his men would have it.

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