Championship Football on Half a Plan A

DONCASTER ROVERS
0 : 3
LEEDS UNITED

When I watch a match on TV, the commentator always makes one comment that gets my hackles up.  This time he paid tribute to Sean O'Driscoll, stating how he had turned Donny into championship survivors.  Two of our three finishes in the championship were, of course, mid-table but I suppose unles you are a Rovers' fan, that fact requires research beyond the capabilities of the average TV sports journalist.

But after the match last night, I'd suggest that if the "survivors" tag is used in May, Donny fans should grab it and cling onto it for dear life.  Unless last night's performance was an abhoration, survival will be more than we deserve.

O'Driscoll was often criticised for having no plan B, probably because he studied opponents and identified their weaknesses.  Plan A was then defined so as to exploit these weaknesses.  A point to be made about this preparation is that the weaknesses are undoubtedly there to be exploited.

When plan A is the standard championship football fare of lumping the ball up towards your big-man, opponents are used to working to nullify any threat this produces.  Once they've done this, plan B is needed.  Normally, in this case, plan B will be similarly inventive so a plan C would also be handy.

Sarcastic as it may be, that last paragraph sums up what went wrong for Rovers last night.  For the first 15 minutes, I actually thought Donny slightly had the upper-hand.  John Parkin was smashing around the Leeds defence as that long ball came and was creating space.  Exploiting the space created would have been the next step in the plan but we never looked like doing that.

At the other end of the pitch, the defence was doing well, snubbing out the far more stylish approach of Leeds.  That was until a stupid free-kick was given away by George Friend on the byline.  Yes, had Friend sneezed, McCormack would have fallen down earlier but Friend's hands were in his back and he was being watched by a linesman who may have been a yard away.

So the setpiece was swung in, Naylor and O'Connor collided and on the far post, Danny Pugh smashed the ball past Kirkland.

Leeds were now starting to get to grips with that long, high ball and there were the first signs of Rovers' defence starting to lose their formation, going all higgledy-piggledy as Keogh took a run at them before shooting just wide.

But just before half-time and it could have been 1:1.  A decent cross from Gillett gave Parkin a free header that he really should have had on target.

Half-time and I wasn't too despondent.  Only one down and with the defence not looking so bad; with the extra resilience Dean Saunders has brought with him and with coming back from a goal down in our last two matches,  a point didn't sound as silly then as it does now.

After the break and the best bit of football of the match resulted in Leeds doubling their lead.  It was play similar to old Donny's football, toying with a defence on the edge of their area and pulling them out of position.  Keogh then played a lovely ball around Friend and McCormack's two touches were sublime. The first chipping the ball into the air and the second an overhead kick straight past Kirkland. True, with two defenders on him, it should have been impossible but a great piece of skill all the same.

Substitutions had also been Saunders' salvation so far with Donny but not tonight as Mason on for Oster and Bennett for the appauling Coppinger both proved as ineffective as the players they replaced. 

Time for Leeds to put the result beyond doubt so that they could play even more relaxed football and it was a set-piece corner from Snodgrass straight to Tom Lees who out-jumped Naylor with ease to head home.  Empahatically game over.

Parkin, who had at least put in an evening's work was replaced by Hayter meaning the average height of Donny's front three had dropped to 5'8".  That long ball remained their only outlet though.  There was a minor flutter in the Leeds defence as a Naylor header was fumbled by Lonergan and in trying to smash home the lose ball, Hayter inadvertantly kicked the Leeds keepers' finger out of its socket but other than that, no real threat on United's goal.

Indeed it was very nearly 4 for Leeds.  Keogh spun off Friend and lifted the ball over Kirkland but against the underside of the bar.

I doubt Leeds will gain an easier 3 points this season, while for Doncaster a stark lesson in tactics.  To win games at this level, you need more than one.