Verdict '“ Doncaster Rovers dig themselves out of tight spot to find their way again

As with the embattled Prime Minister, Doncaster Rovers found themselves in a bit of a tight spot after a worrying run of six matches without victory, with resilience, determination, patience and composure under fire required in Saturday’s encounter with the similarly down-at-heel – and managerless – Wimbledon.

Under questioning from the media amid the latest Brexit brouhaha, the stoic May compared her attitude to that of steadfast Yorkshire and England opener Geoffrey Boycott, who in her words “stuck to it and got the runs in the end” amid adversity.

Those words would have certainly chimed with Rovers, moreso at the end of a testing Saturday afternoon which saw a captain’s knock from the returning Tommy Rowe prove fateful.

Out for two-and-a-half months with a hamstring tear, substitute Rowe’s rasping 86th-minute drive – with Rovers profiting after the dozy Dons switched off for the second time after a quickly-taken free-kick – underlined his importance to the Doncaster cause.

The psychological merit of Rowe’s priceless strike – 12 minutes after entering the fray – should not be underestimated for a Rovers side who were in danger of losing their way after a promising opening third of the season.

Manager Grant McCann was clearly a tad anxious too. His decision to swap his traditional club tracksuit top for a smart overcoat was partly down to superstition in a bid to yield a change in fortune. Suffice to say after Saturday’s win, it will be staying on.

Looking visibly relieved, McCann said: “Hopefully, it is a turning point in our season. We spoke about it during the week in taking advantage of these four league games out of six at home.

“It is never easy playing a team without a manager. I know Simon (Bassey – Wimbledon caretaker) has gone in there and there will probably be a new manager looking at them and they are trying to impress him. We saw that on Wednesday at Notts County.

“People can get a bounce; it is sad really and not right. I thought they had a bit of a bounce and were strong. But we stuck at our task and got the job done...”

Brief worries that the job may not be able to get done surfaced at the break when a drone was spotted flying above the stadium, ensuring a ten-minute delay at the start of the second half.

Thankfully, Rovers stayed on message and after a sublime first-half leveller from Ali Crawford to cancel out Mitchell Pinnock’s neat 26th-minute opener, the hosts were flying high at the end.

“I got my little boy to fly it over of the stadium!” McCann quipped.

“I am only joking..I have no idea (where it came from); the referee said the rules are they could not kick off while there is a drone flying over the stadium. But it moved quite quickly. To be fair, it is something I have used at Peterborough for training sessions.

“But I can guarantee it is nothing to do with me..”

Nothing was certainly doing in a soporific opening 25 minutes which underlined just why these two sides were toiling.

It was Wimbledon, whose old-school physicality was right out of the successful Dons’ vintage of yore, who were the more imposing and they eventually manufactured a telling moment.

Rovers were carved open by astute play from Liam Trotter, Kwesi Appiah and Anthony Wordsworth, with Pinnock evading the challenge of Niall Mason before producing a tidy low finish.