Saturday Night Takeaway: No disgrace for principled Doncaster Rovers as West Ham end cup run in emphatic fashion

There will have been no surprises for Doncaster Rovers that West Ham United are several levels above them in football’s pecking order.

But there was a brutal reminder of that fact as Rovers saw their brilliant run in the FA Cup brought to an end in ruthless fashion at the magnificent London Stadium.

The first blow came swiftly, inside the first 90 seconds and ensured they were fighting from behind for almost the entirety of a contest where they were always the wide outsider.

West Ham demonstrated their quality in sharp bursts to carve Rovers open at timely moments.

Early when Pablo Fornals turned in Ryan Fredericks’ cut back.

Then, just as Rovers were building some confidence, when Andriy Yarmolenko lifted the ball over Ellery Balcombe after a wonderful poked through ball from Said Benrahma.

The hosts had a swagger from their comfortable position and brought out the best in Balcombe, who produced a string of superb saves.

But he was beaten by one of his own men when Andy Butler unfortunately turned into his own goal, before debutant Oladapo Afolayan rounded off the scoring.

Could Rovers have been better? Certainly, and it is doubtful that you would be able to find a player in the side that would disagree with that assertion.

There were plenty of times when they did not use the ball well enough, particularly inside their own half which only increased the pressure on them.

And on the rare occasions they pushed into the final third, there was room for improvement in their composure.

But against one of this season’s top teams in this country’s top division, there were still positives to take.

Chiefly and simply - this was an authentic version of Doncaster Rovers.

The principles instilled in the squad over the last 18 months by Darren Moore were all present.

They attempted to play out from the back and through the thirds, to release the pace in wide areas and push forward, to disrupt the opposition in the middle of the park.

And it is those principles that will be relied upon to continue carrying Rovers forward in League One, where it truly matters for them this season.

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In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.