DONCASTER ROVERS 0
BARNSLEY 1 (Hammill 74)

AGAINST the run of play? Who cares as the Reds completed a smash and grab raid on Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium.

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 started the second half camped in the Reds half. Hayter and Gillett were both denied in the area by some resolute Barnsley defending as the Reds struggled to keep hold of the ball and make any inroads further up the field. Although the visitors were unable to make any impression on the game, their defending was outstanding as Colace, Doyle and Darren Moore all made important blocks as the Rovers onslaught continued.

Things finally clicked for Barnsley on 52 minutes as Hammill again swung in a fine cross from the right flank that had Rovers all over the place but Hallfredsson was unable to find a finish at the back post.

Barnsley's goal led a charmed life moments later when Dean Shiels' let fly from 20 yards and Steele could only watch as the ball flew over his head but back off the underside of the bar.

Rovers went close again on 55 minutes when Coppinger's deflected shot almost dropped for Sharp in the area but Steele was quickly out to grab the ball. Steele was worried again on the hour mark as Shiels let fly from 25 yards but the ball fizzed wide of the post.

Hume turned Shackell easily on 65 minutes to open up Doncaster and put Macken through but the striker was denied by Sullivan after squeezing a low drive through a crowd of players. At the other end Woods smacked a free kick a foot or so wide of the post from 25 yards which had Steele scrambling across his goal.

Hammill then had a yard of space to attack as he raced onto Jacob Butterfield's pass moments later but his curler was straight at Sullivan.

With the Reds still smarting after another blatant foul by Rovers went unpunished by referee Graham Salisbury, Coppinger almost made them pay by curling one wide of the left hand post on 69 minutes.

It may have been against the balance of play but the thousands of Barnsley supporters did not care on 74 minutes when Hammill turned onto Hume's corner 16 yards out and leathered an unstoppable shot past Sullivan and right into the far top corner. The goal sparked delirious scenes amongst the Reds faithful.

Another Hume corner almost gave the Reds a second on 78 minutes as the ball fell to Foster at the back stick but Sullivan got his angles spot on to snatch the ball away from danger.

Andy Gray almost made the game safe on 80 minutes as he managed to the ball in front of his marker but he nodded Hammill's free kick just wide. Foster then went close with a header from Hume's corner on 81 minutes but the Barnsley skipper could not keep his effort down on target.

Anderson really should have put the game beyond Rovers on 85 minutes as he managed to get in behind the Doncaster defence but smacked his shot into the sidenetting with only Sullivan to beat.

DONCASTER ROVERS: Sullivan, Roberts (Heffernan 86), Chambers, Shackell, Hird, Shiels (Fairhurst 84), Woods, Gillett (Guy 86), Coppinger, Hayter, Sharp.
Subs: O'Connor, Spicer, G. Woods, Dumbaya.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Shotton, Foster, Moore, Dickinson, Doyle (Butterfield 60), Colace, Hallfredsson (Anderson 56), Hammill, Macken (A. Gray 77), Hume.
Subs: Preece, Bogdanovic, J. Gray, Thompson.

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

Attendance - 12,708

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