LIVE FROM THE KEEPMOAT STADIUM

DONCASTER ROVERS 0
BARNSLEY 0

IT was scrappy from both sides but there were enough positive signs in attack in the opening half to give the Reds a lot of belief going into the second 45 minutes.

It was derby day at the Keepmoat Stadium as Mark Robins brought his side to face local rivals Doncaster Rovers. Rejuvenated before the international break by victories over Burnley, West Brom and Ipswich Town, the Reds were looking to continue their fine recent form and make it three league wins on the spin against Rovers after last season's fine double success.

There were changes from that win over Ipswich Town with Luke Steele and Emil Hallfredsson coming into the starting eleven. Out went Bartosz Bialkowski, who returned to Southampton at the start of the international break, and Jamal Campbell-Ryce. The Reds were fantastically backed by more than 3,000 noisy supporters as they looked to win three on the spin for the first time since April 2007's successful fight against the drop.

Rovers injury concerned eased in the build up to the game with Dean Shiels and James Coppinger both making the game despite midweek worries.

The Reds could have been in front within two minutes when Ryan Shotton's long throw was only half cleared by the Rovers defence. Hugo Colace lobbed the ball back into the danger area for Adam Hammill to attack but the winger was denied a goal by Neil Sullivan's fine save. The ball just would not drop for Iain Hume six yards out.

At the other end Coppinger managed to break past a couple of challenges moments later but his shot struck a defender and looped through to Steele.

Hume went clear through on five minutes following a slip by Jason Shackell but his cross was hacked clear. The Reds almost snatched the opener moments later as Hallfredsson met Hume's corner but his header was blocked away. Moore smacked the rebound against a defender and away for another corner kick.

Rovers almost caught the Reds out on eight minutes as a neat interchange of passing on the edge of the box sent James Chambers to the byline. The full back did well to find Billy Sharp but Stephen Foster was in the right place to block the shot around the post.

Sharp was in again minutes later as he raced clear but the referee had long since blown for offside by the time the striker put the ball past Steele.

Jon Macken managed to flick the ball on behind Shackell again on ten minutes as he met Steele's long kick to put Hume away but this time the striker could only shoot into the sidenetting under pressure.

Doncaster's quick, intelligent passing caused the Reds problems again on 12 minutes as the ball eventually fell to James Hayter but Nathan Doyle was alert enough to make the block on the edge of the box. Hume found a yard of space in behind Doncaster yet again on 14 minutes as Carl Dickinson's low drive made its way into the area but the striker was denied by a flag as he shot at Sullivan.

Martin Woods' delivery from set pieces was causing problems and the Reds needed skipper Foster to save them on 15 minutes as Sharp let fly from six yards. The ball cannoned away for a corner off the Barnsley defender.

Shotton was caught out on 17 minutes as he let Coppinger away from him down the right. The full back had no option but to take Coppinger to the ground and picked up the first booking of the game.

Rovers almost grabbed the lead two minutes later as Gareth Roberts' cross glanced off Coppinger and looked to be heading for the far top corner before Steele somehow turned it away.

Barnsley needed to find some quality and Hammill almost provided it on 27 minutes with a wonderful first-time cross from the right that dropped for Hallfredsson in the six-yard box but Rovers managed to smother the danger away.

The Reds were being made to work extremely hard to stay in the game and Doyle picked up a caution on 35 minutes after upending Simon Gillett on half way.

Roberts should have been booked on 39 minutes after hauling back Hammill. Macken really ought to have opened the scoring from Hume's free kick as Rovers' defence went walkabout but the striker's header dropped wide of the post. Macken got in again moments later as Doncaster backline disappeared again but Shackell got back to block away.

For all Rovers decent possession and passing there were not that many really worrying moments for the Reds although Woods' shot on 44 minutes did force a smart save from Steele.

DONCASTER ROVERS: Sullivan, Roberts, Chambers, Shackell, Hird, Shiels, Woods, Gillett, Coppinger, Hayter, Sharp.
Subs: Fairhurst, O'Connor, Spicer, Guy, G. Woods, Dumbaya, Heffernan.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Shotton, Foster, Moore, Dickinson, Doyle, Colace, Hallfredsson, Hammill, Macken, Hume.
Subs: Preece, Bogdanovic, J. Gray, A. Gray, Anderson, Butterfield, Thompson.

Referee
Graham Salisbury (Lancashire)
Assistant Referees
Steve Cook (Derbyshire) and Ken Haycock (West Yorkshire)
Fourth Official
Dave Naylor (Nottinghamshire)

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