Last Time out...

Rovers got the result they wanted but in the end were made to sweat a bit.

It started off well enough with yet another assist for David Cotterill. This one wasn't typical though. Cotterill has played many better crosses into the area this season but on this occasion David Mirfin under no real pressure put through his own net. Further chances went Rovers' way without really testing Erik Johansen until Rob Jones brought a good save from him from Cotterill's corner. It was all Rovers though and on 40 minutes Jones' excellent through ball allowed Iain Hume to slip in behind the home defence and finish coolly.

A two-nil lead at half time would have been no less than the visitors deserved, but it wasn't to be. Mark Duffy struck a great free kick from about 30 yards into Gary Woods' top-left corner.

Into the second half and a really intricate passing move looked like it had been wasted when Chris Brown's over hit his cross onto the left wing, but Rovers weren't finished with this move. Husband and Spurr worked the ball to Hume. His ball into the 6-yard box gave Brown an easy chance to atone for the poor original cross.

Rovers continued to press but couldn't get the goal that would surely have ended Scunthorpe's resistance. Instead a short-corner for the Iron was crossed for Karl Hawley to scramble the ball home in the 85th minute after the post had denied Andy Barcam. A few bitten nails for the Rovers' faithful in the end, but they held on for a deserved win.

Scunthorpe United 2 : 3 Doncaster Rovers

Meanwhile...

There was a battle going on between two of the largest League 1 teams, and two of the most troubled at Fratton Park. After 7 minutes the referee awarded a soft penalty when Cody McDonald was adjudged to have been pulled back as he passed Shaun Cooper. Gary McSheffery is normally reliable from the spot but on this occasion his kick was well saved by Simon Eastwood. The resulting corner also had the home fans' pulses racing with McSheffery once again involved, but the ball was scrambled away.

On 15 minutes, Portsmouth took the lead after a nice flowing move. Jed Wallace finished it by getting on the end of Cooper's cross with the sky blues looking a little slow to react.

Coventry certainly tested Simon Eastwood in the second half. Franck Moussa and Cody McDonald both being denied by Pompey's 'keeper. But despite Coventry being the better team in the second half, Patrick Agyemang scored a second goal for Pompey in the 76th minute. He did well too, employing great strength to flick a header past Joe Murphy.

Coventry kept going but unfortunately, they had found Eastwood in great form in the Pompey goal on the day and couldn't get back into the game.

Portsmouth 2 : 0 Coventry City

Earlier this season...

At the Keepmoat, the Sky Blues gave Donny a football lesson, inflicting the Rovers' heaviest defeat of the season. It was an entertaining game from start to finish with the Isidore always looking the more accomplished.

Gary McSheffery caused chaos in the Rovers back four in the third minute before finding Franck Moussa who hit an unstoppable finish to give the visitors an early lead. Hume had two opportunities to equalize, one hit wide when he should have done better and another well saved when he attempted to lob Joe Murphy.

But it was Coventry who demonstrated how it should be done with Donny showing how it shouldn't. Blair Adams' dangerous cross was made easy for David McGoldrick to finish due to slack marking by the home side. McGoldrick should have given Coventry a three-nil lead before the break when the visitors counted quickly after Rovers lost possession, but he shot wide with just Gary Woods to beat.

After the break, McGoldrick did score his second and Coventry's third. A cross from the right found him unmarked again in a position where missing the target would have been difficult. Chris Brown gave Rovers the slightest glimmer of hope by heading in from close range after an excellent Paynter header had come off the bar. However, if the goal did anything, it motivated Coventry. They continued to look a very good team coming forwards and eventually got their reward through Adam Barton's great curling effort from the edge of the area.

Doncaster Rovers 1 : 4 Coventry City

The Season so far...

Rovers fans (me included) have bitched about our the manner of our relegation last season, but when you look at the fates of our companions in relegation, it seems we've come off lightly.

Administration has now put paid to any play-off hope the Sky-Blues may have had but on the plus-side, it won't cost them a second relegation. However, I feel for the Coventry fans as they face an uncertain future.

After a terrible start to the season, which saw them winning just six points in the first two months and drop to second-bottom, Coventry found their feet. They steadily improved toward the end of 2012 finishing the year as the best form-side in December. But since then, Coventry have been inconsistent. Leading to their falling slightly.

Coventry Season High: 7th (end of January)

Coventry Season Low: 23rd (September)

...and so to the Game

Donny are five points clear of the play-offs with an Easter program ahead that could all but assure a quick return to the championship. The last time we had a definitive Easter ahead of us, it didn't go to plan. Then we were looking at a shot at getting into the premier league via the play-offs. Two wins were needed to push Blackpool out of the play-off places, sadly, two defeats followed, first to Plymouth Argyle and then to Balckpool themselves.

I don't think it will be the same this time. Plymouth, back then were still scrapping for survival and Blackpool obviously had promotion on their agenda. Coventry, on this occasion are just playing for pride but after the events of this week, pride could be quite a motivator.

Coventry Goal Time Distribution

Doncaster Goal Time Distribution

The goal time distribute charts look remarkably similar, just Donny looking better before half time. It certainly doesn't look like a game where you'd want to be sneaking out to get the early train.

Carl Baker, being considered for his first match since undergoing hernia-surgery and unsurprisingly Franck Moussa look like players to watch, with David McGoldrick being the man to convert any chances, as we found out in December. David Bell also returns to contention after illness. Steven Jennings is a doubt after picking up an injury against Portsmouth and Jordan Willis misses out after picking up injury playing u21 in the week.

Donny will miss an in form Paul Quinn due to a bereavement in his family but otherwise there are no new absentees. Cameron Howieson is back unscathed after international duty with the Maoris and although Dean Furman did pick up a facial injury while playing for South Africa, he has been cleared to play.

Mark Halsey will take charge of proceedings on Good Friday. It seems the premier league referee is being punished for failing to punish Callum McManaman's horror challenge on Massadio Haidara last weekend. The premier league's loss is our gain! Halsey has only taken charge of Premier League and Championship matches so far this season. He's awarded 57 yellow and 3 red cards in the process.

Forum Corner

It's a horrible situation for Sky Blue fans as it seems once again, the owners of a football club have behaved, and have been allowed to behave irresponsibly for years. Administration has come due to stadium owners, ACL pressing for payment of £1.3M in rent arrears. But that's the tip of an ugly iceberg for Coventry with debts of £60M being reported. So enter the football league with the first sanctions taken by them against the irresponsibility of the club owners and the deduction of 10 points. Stable doors and horses come to mind.

In trying to understand more about Coventry, I googled SISU. Apparently it's a Finnish term that embodies the country. Loosely translated it means "strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity". Is that ironic or reassuring? I'm certainly not sure a hedge-fund's name should be associated in any way with adversity. In the end, I gave up. Coventry are not my club and besides, football fans shouldn't have to battle with understanding hedge-funds. They should be talking about what the club needs to do to win at the weekend.

On that subject, most Coventry fans aren't too hopeful predicting defeat with the club in disarray.

On the Donny boards and there's some incredulity that league 1's top ten players of the year contains no Rovers players. It's quite an achievement for a team that has topped the table for the last seven matches and for 15 matches before that remained within 3 points of the top position. How do David Cotterill's 10 goals, many of them spectacular and 18 assists go un-noticed by league 1's managers? I suppose he hasn't quite directly contributed to 50% of Rovers' goals this season (the figure is 49%) so what about Rob Jones? A meagre 7 goals and single assist (really?) from Centre back can't be bad can it? No small measure of leadership from the big man either! I wonder on what criteria the managers based their decision.

Like the reasons Coventry have ended up the way they are, I'm sure it's another thing the fans will never find out.

Enjoy the game everyone.

Posted with Blogsy