Guy sinks Robins as Rovers impress on

DONCASTER Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll will probably have rowed a few less metres yesterday morning after seeing his side sink the Robins at the Keepmoat Stadium.

O'Driscoll regularly uses one of the rowing machines at the club's training ground at Cantley Park on a Sunday morning to both keep fit and counter the tensions of football management.

But O'Driscoll's stress levels shouldn't have been as high as they probably have been on other occasions this season when he has come under fire from fans.

His side were worthy winners and will go into tomorrow night's game against Walsall confident of recording their first back-to-back league wins of the season.

Considered by many people at the game unfortunate to come away empty-handed from Roots Hall last time out, Rovers made a lively start.

Brian Stock tested keeper Shane Higgs as early as the fifth minute and skipper Adam Lockwood headed wife from a corner.

Rovers took a deserved 18th minute with a goal by man-of-the-match Lewis Guy.

Guy produced a clinical finish when beating Higgs with an angled shot after latching on to a superb through ball by James Hayter.

Said Hatyer:"Lewis has got great pace and he is good at running behind defenders. So once I got the ball I had a look up and saw him running I just passed the ball to him and he finished it off in style.

"We started quite well, but we have done that in a lot of other games and not scored, today we did.

"The first goal is always important. It helps settle your nerves and makes it that much easier to play your football."

Hayter's form since his club-record 200,000 signing from Bournemouth in the summer has attracted criticism from some fans.

Hayter failed to add to his solitary league goal - though he had a shot on target in the first half and was just wide with a couple of chances in the second. But no-one in the club's lowest league gate of the season can fail to have been impressed by the former Cherries striker.

His link-up play with the likes of Paul Heffernan and Guy was outstanding, as was his workrate.

"I think that the front players all linked well and when we do that we are as good as any team in the league," said Hayter.

"I don't see myself as an out-and-out goalscorer; I also like to set up goals for other people.

"I like to get involved in the play rather than just stand in front of goal waiting for the ball to come to me.

"I might have scored a lot of goals for Bournemouth but I also helped out with a lot of assists." Apart from a couple of efforts by Guy, the man of the moment at the ambitious League One side, Rovers didn't really threaten a second goal in the first half.

The Robins, for whom central midfielder David Bird shot wide under pressure from Lockwood after a 50 yard run, provided one of their best moments in the first half, started the second in a more determined mood.

Rovers keeper Neil Sullivan did well to save from Bird's 25 yarder which looked to be heading for the top right-hand corner.

Striker Damien Spencer headed wide from the resulting corner.

Said Hayter:"We spoke at half-time about the fact that they would come out in the second half and try and get the ball into the box to their two big men up front as much as possible and that we would have to defend well.

"At 1-0 they were still in the game, but once we got our second goal just before the hour it killed them off."

The goal came about after Higgs had palmed Guy's byline cross over the crossbar at the expense of a corner - on-loan centre-back Matt Mills scoring with a diving header from Brian Stock's cross.

"It was difficult for us to come back from 2-0 down," said Town boss John Ward. "They were on top of their game and they have some good players and they played very well for a period."

Rovers threatened to overrun the visitors in the next ten minutes or so with several chances being created.

Rovers kept the pressure on the Robins and Heffernan looked all set to score when finding himself in a one-on-one.

Substitute Paul Green, celebrating his 200th appearance for the club, had an an angled shot saved by Higgs.

The Robins weathered the storm and seemed to get their second wind following a double substitution with 20 minutes to go.

Spencer will be the first to admit that he should have done better at the far post from Bird's cross.

Surprisingly relegated to the bench, striker Paul Connor hit the woodwork after coming on.

A goal at that stage could have set pulses racing. But Rovers hung on to claim their first home win over John Ward's side with something to spare.Manager's view

I thought our performance was very professional. They tried to make it difficult by playing just one up front but I thought that we were bright from the start. Probably the only disappointing thing was that we didn't score more goals. But at least we are creating the chances and I couldn't fault the players' efforts and their attitude was first class.