Premier League Nonsense

Having lived in places like Bangkok and Sydney and visited destinations like Bali and Dubai it can difficult to believe I used to think Doncaster was exotic but it be the truth. Once upon a time family holidays would invariably consist of traveling on the train between London and Hartlepool along the north east line, stopping off at Peterborough, Doncaster, York and Darlington before changing to the Hartlepool branch line.

For me, as a young football fan, it was a journey of wonder. Pulling out of King's Cross we would emerge from the tunnels of north London and slide past the art deco stands of Arsenal Stadium and head up north. I grew up feeling a familiarity with the towns and football clubs along that railway line even though I cared not a jot how they did at the weekends.

It wasn't until the 1984/85 season that I finally made it to Doncaster Rovers old Belle Vue ground. That particular day saw many games around the country postponed due to the bad weather yet for some reason the game in Doncaster was never in doubt so rather than risk milling round London, far cheaper and far closer, in the hope a game would survive the freeze I bit the bullet and produced my Young Person's Railcard for my cheap day return to Doncaster. As it happened just 10 gams survived the chill including Chelsea v Arsenal!

There was no Google Maps of course but I was good at understanding maps in those days so once I arrived in Doncaster I had the route etched in my mind via a couple of roundabouts and soon found myself at the creaking old ground. I paid my money and took my seat in the old wooden stand where the pigeon shit crusted wooden seats weren't the most comfortable.

It's surprising what you remember over the years. I was sat towards the back of the stand  and just behind me were what I took to be some local miners. I985 was of course peak miner's strike and Yorkshire was at its heart and these people behind me were being less than complimentary about someone sat elsewhere. 'Scab' was one word they used!

The game itself was won by visitors Reading 4-0 and the only other thing I recall was haystacks around the pitch!

Fast forward to 2019 and of course Donny now play in the new Keepmoat Stadium, a damned sight more comfy than Belle Vue. The Bristol Rovers game was to be my fifth visit of the season and if any home fans were to get neutral, had enjoyed each game.
chatty I determined to keep quiet; my previous four games had seen defeats at home to Sunderland and Crystal Palace, a draw with Barnsley and the 7-0 win over Chorley but in fairness I, as a

The walk from the station to the ground is pretty bleak. Once you get past the Railway and the Leopard, which hosts the odd punk band on a Friday night, there is little to grab a visitor's attention all the way to the ground. It's a long, lonely walk so I guess most people either drive, take a bus or a taxi.

Cheap train tickets mean that I had arrived in Donny at 5pm and so by the time I had been to the bank and walked to the Keepmoat it was still only 6pm and about the only people milling around outside the ground were expectant autograph hunters; wasn't that a kids' thing back in the day? These guys seemed to be at least twice the age of the players they waited for outside the main entrance!

With sod all on the industrial estate around the Keepmoat to keep fans amused beyond a running track and the odd burger van I headed to the Belle Vue bar. One reason I have visited Doncaster so often this season is a membership card, called DNA, that offers discount on the trains and also beers for £6 and if that isn't an invitation to get to a football match then I don't know what is.

Both Doncaster and Bristol Rovers have much to play for. Donny have been on a poor run of form, winless in their previous seven, a run that has coincided with top scorer John Marquis losing his potency in front of goal. Still, at home they were a formidable proposition as they had shown recently against Barnsley when they held the high flyers to a 0-0 draw. Still, the recent downturn in fortunes had seen them drop out of the play off positions, sitting seventh and a point behind Peterborough going into this game.

This would be my first time watching Bristol Rovers in what a I call the new era (From 1992 until 2012 I was overseas and saw very few games.) However I was keen top see how their Coventry City alumni, Abu Ogogo and Jonson Clarke-Harris were getting on. For while Donny had been struggling in recent weeks the Pirates had been in fine form unbeaten in their previous five games though still way to close to the relegation places for their liking.

Doncaster got off to a flyer with a goal in the opening couple of minutes when a speculative effort from the veteran James Coppinger squirmed through the keeper and into the net. When the 38 year old netted again on 12 minutes I sat back to enjoy what I hoped would be a goal fest. Donny were on the front foot for the whole of the first half and the only surprise was we had to wait so long before the promising Mallik Wilks, on loan from Leeds United, made it 3-0. So much for getting to see how good Ogogo and Clarke-Harris were!

A penny for the thoughts of Bristol Rovers manager Graham Coughlan as he took his seat in the dug out at the start of the second half. 3-0 down, he would have spent the interval trying to instil some belief into his dispirited players. Perhaps there would have plenty of gung-ho spirit among the players as they went back on the pitch. Surely all they needed would be a quick goal and then, given Donny's recent form, nerves would have crept in among the home support and that would have effected the team in red.

Then Kieran Sadler scored a cracker from outside the box. 4-0 and game over. Clarke-Harris pulled one back from the spot to give the travelling supporters something to cheer but the game was Donny's and they were back in the play off spots. And, just as importantly, they had boosted their goal difference. It's in their hands now, that final play off position. Saturday they host Walsall while Peterborough will be looking on nervously.

While the Championship gets much of the attention there is so much to be decided in what is a thrilling League One and that doesn't include Sunday's Checkatrade Cup Final between Portsmouth and Sunderland which is likely to draw a massive crowd!