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Saturday, 5th July 2008

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ROVERS AT WEMBLEY!


Donny hammer five past Southend- hat-trick for Coppinger

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WEMBLEY WAY beckons Doncaster Rovers and an all-Yorkshire final tonight.
A sensational 5-1 Donny win this evening over Southend United sees them through to The Play Off final to face Leeds United at England's national stadium on May 25.
And on the evidence of tonight's stunning master-class, you'd have to feel comfortabl
e about Rovers'precise passing game on the Wembley expanse.
And that would point to derbies next year against Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United and Barnsley...
Certainly tonight was one of Rovers' finest hours.
They started the game with so much confidence they utterly dominated Southend, slapping in three goals in the first half, sending their
fans into fever pitch.
They out-passed and outworked the visitors, carving out chances which they executed perfectly.
They had to overcome an early scare, James Walker rattling the home bar after seven minutes after connecting with a right wing cross.
But two minutes later Brian Stock converted a penalty - a weak strike of the ball straight down the middle - but it was enough to put the
Keepmoat team ahead.
Doncaster, without the services of Paul Heffernan, red-carded in the first leg for a headbutt on Shrimpers' Charlie Mulgrew, weren't
mssing him as they surged forward with vigour and cohesion.
Jason Price bundled the ball over the line at 20 mins for 2-0 and while Neil O'Sullivan had a couple of saves to make after, there was
only one team likely to score again.
Donny's third, in fact, ended the contest.
James Coppinger skipped into the penalty area, switched his stance to fool some feeble defending, and buried a right foot shot low past
Darryl Flahavan.
Suddenly, Donny's task, to fulfill chairman John Ryan's ambition of returning to the second tier of English football for the first time
since 1958, was only a Wembley game away.
Coppinger confirmed that with another dribble and gifted left-footer goal inside the second half.
Keepmoat stadium exploded like it never had before. It must have quietened the pubs and clubs around Elland Road!
After an hour Southend replaced both strikers - no pressure, then, on those who were drafted off the bench.
Sullivan finger-tipped a decent Adam Barrett drive over at 69 mins as the 13,000 fans started to count the clock down.
But Rovers made it 5-0 with Coppinger's hat-trick, sweeping a right wing shot into the net on 80 mins. A goal anybody would be proud of.
Southend's thoroughly-sporting travelling fans got a consolation from Nicky Bailey after 87 mins.
*Full analysis, pictures and comment: See Saturday's Star.



The full article contains 434 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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  • Last Updated: 16 May 2008 9:38 PM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Sheffield
 
 
  

 
 


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