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Gary Marrow made one change to side, bringing back Mark Place into the defence and moving Steve Price from centre back to right full back in place of Gary Reece. Rovers fielded a strong first team with only a couple of regulars missing who were carrying injuries.

The Blues started off strongly with a flick through by Simon Collins in the second minute seeing Andy Evans break into the box from the left but his cut back towards Matt Russell was cleared. Two minutes later Barry Miller was forced to concede a corner under pressure from Leroy Chambers but Rovers almost took the lead with their first attack when a sweeping move saw Robert Gill hit the bar from 8 yards and the Blues managed to scramble the ball to safety. However, the Blues were soon back on the attack with Evans heading over at the near post from Rory Prendergast's left wing corner. A minute later Evans volleyed over from a cross by Chris Gowen whilst some good play between Collins, Chambers and Evans saw Evans head on to Chambers who was forced wide by Andy Warrington but he turned and chipped the ball back into the danger area but it was cleared off the head of Evans. On 21 minutes a great ball by Russell put Collins clear but he was soon pressurised by two Rovers defenders and his low shot was turned around the post by Warrington. Collins then headed over from another Prendergast corner whilst Rovers had barely showed anything of note at the other end. 

The Blues were dealt a huge blow on 36 minutes when Collins was forced off suffering from double vision and was replaced by Reece who dropped into the right back position, allowing Price to move into midfield. Then, a minute before half time the game turned on its head. A free-kick was awarded against Mark Place some 30 yards out which incensed Gary Marrow who was promptly sent from the dug-out by referee Mellor - despite not having spoken to him at all previously. Price was then booked for dissent as he argued his point with the referee and then Rob Hanby, rather stupidly, had to have his say and received a red card for his trouble. When the game restarted Mark Wilkinson comfortably saved Tierney's free-kick but a minute later a long ball out of defence saw Place stick out a boot to prevent Gill reaching it only fro the ball to loop over Wilkinson and into the net from 20 yards for a bizarre own goal. Things got worse three minutes into stoppage time as a good run down the Rovers right saw the ball crossed to the near post where Wilkinson saved Andy Watson's header, only for Ricky Ravenhill to follow-up and score.

At half time Pete Myers was sent on in place of Chris Gowen as the Blues went to a 3-man defence. The Blues needed a quick reply in the second half and this they got on 48 minutes. Prendergast played the ball in from the left to EVANS at the near post who swept it past Warrington from 6 yards. Five minutes later Gill headed just wide of Wilkinson's right hand post from Tierney's cross but on 58 minutes Evans had a glorious chance to equalise when an attempted clearance was charged down and fell to him in acres of space but, as he bore down on goal, Warrington smothered his low shot from 16 yards. At the other end Tienery played a 1-2 with Ravenhill before slicing wide  from inside the box when well placed. On 62 minutes a deep cross from the left by Prendergast was headed down by Chambers at the far post to Myers whose angled shot went agonisingly wide of the left hand post with Warrington beaten. Wilkinson then easily caught a close range header from Gill before Warrington was forced to push a 30 yard free-kick by Prendergast over the bar after Chambers was fouled. The Blues continued to push forward in search of a deserved equaliser and they looked to have got it on 84 minutes when Price swung in a cross from the left which came to Myers on the right of the box. He lifted it back into the danger area where Evans headed goalwards only for Warrington to pull off a great save to deny him. Then, the inevitable happened. A minute into stoppage time the Blues defence was stretched by a ball down the right which was sent over to the far post where Paul Barnes scored from close range.

The result was hard luck on the ten man Blues who had battled back well in the second half and made a real fight of it but, it begs the question of what might have happened with eleven men. But, Rob Hanby has been in the game long enough to know what is likely to happen if he continues to show dissent, even if the referee did tend to over react a little.

In fact, the referee made himself look even worse when he refused to walk off the pitch after the players, instead waiting until the floodlights had been turned off and people had started to leave the tunnel area. All this did was infuriate spectators more and made them even more determined to have their moan at the officials as they left the pitch.

Doncaster Rovers : Warrington, Marples, Sandwith, Price, Miller, Ryan, Tierney, Ravenhill, Barnes, Gill, Watson. Subs Squires, Campbell, Whitman

Attendance : 582

Referee : G S Mellor (Rotherham)