Quotes from match between Doncaster and Sheffield Utd

Doncaster goal-scorers James Coppinger and Billy Sharp hailed their team’s performance as they saw off Sheffield United 2-0 with a dogged display.

Coppinger, 29, spoke of a renewed confidence amongst the team as a whole. “The gaffers done brilliantly, brought in the right players, third season in the championship now, we’re looking to climb that table and hopefully finish in the play-offs.

“We like to pass it, but we can mix it up like we did today. Make sure you don’t get caught in the wrong area in midfield, and I think we did that today and got the result,” he said.

The former Exeter player also stated that consistency was the key to the club’s success. “We just need to be more consistent and get a good run of results together, back-to-back wins and build on the confidence. We’re a bit inconsistent at the moment but it’s a good start and hopefully we can build on this.”

Former Blades player Sharp was elated with his goal against his former employers. “If I couldn’t score for the team that I’d supported since I was a boy then I wanted to score against them and luckily for me I managed to do that today. Apart from the injury, I’m buzzing because the lads have held on and we’ve won the game.”

A celebratory shirt sporting “Fat lad from Sheffield” was on show after scoring his teams second. “The gaffer was giving me a bit of stick in the week, bit of an in-house joke, and hopefully that made him smile.”

Defeated manager Gary Speed blamed his teams inability to begin games at a good pace. “Well first half, we weren’t at it at all, Doncaster were first to everything. They were better than us and deserved the 2-0 lead.

“But it was too late, you can’t go around giving teams like that 2-0 starts and they probably deserved it. We don’t start games as well as we should,” said the former Bolton player.

The 41-year-old also stated that he was not worried about the lack of quality in the final third. James Cresswell spurned the visitors best opportunity when he glanced a free header wide from six yards.

“We should’ve scored one, maybe two, but you can’t play well every week. When your not playing well you’ve got to make sure your right in other areas. And if we’d come away with a 0-0 draw I would’ve been happy because I know we weren’t playing as well as we could. We let Doncaster dictate and they wanted it more in the first half.

Match report between Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield United

Doncaster Rovers 2 – 0 Sheffield United

The fat lad from Sheffield is how Doncaster boss Sean O’Driscoll would describe him, and it was a mixed day for Rovers forward Billy Sharp as his side toppled a mediocre Sheffield United.

A superb one-two between James Coppinger and Sharp saw the former bury a low shot into the far corner of the net. Former Blades player Sharp then pounced on a rebound following Steve Simonson’s save from fellow striker James Hayter.

Having picked up only five points from their last possible 18, Rovers has slipped into the bottom half of the table. A series of injuries has not helped matters, with several first-team players in the treatment room.

Simon Gillett joined James O'Conner, George Friend, Wayne Thomas and James Chambers on the sidelines, while several players entered the game carrying minor knocks.

Having lost for the first time at home midweek to Derby, the formbook was not with the home side. With one victory in their last six league outings, victory was a necessity for a match that also contained significant bragging rights.

Gary Speed’s men have endured an indifferent start to the Welshman’s reign, one that has seen them causing few ruffles to the pace setters. A tight hamstring forced Stephen Jordan out of the Yorkshire derby, allowing Belgian Ritchie de Laet to step in.

The Keepmoat Stadium has been good hunting ground for the Blades, with their last defeat going back to a Third Division clash in 1983.

The home side began like the team in form as Coppinger stung the fingers of Steve Simonsen in the Sheffield goal early on. However, a series of strong moves was matched by a lack of finesse in the final third as neither side was able to take a grasp of the match.

A hot-and-cold game burst into life as a slick move from the home side resulted in Coppinger neatly slotting the ball past the onrushing Simonsen. The pressure from the home side was relentless in a passionate and vibrant atmosphere

Momentum was now firmly with O’Driscoll’s men, and the inevitable second goal came courtesy of a tidy build-up and a touch of luck. A strong run by John Oster teed up James Hayter, whose first time shot was parried to the 24-year-old Sharp.

However it wasn’t to be a fairytale ending for the former Scunthorpe forward, as a pulled hamstring brought his game to a premature end.

A burst of pace from Mustapha Dumbuya almost provided a third for O’Driscoll’s men, just shy of the hour mark. His run allowed Hayter to tee up skipper Brian Stock who blazed his first-time shot over the bar.

The visitors, who had struggled thus far, began to create opportunities as they sought to find a way back into a result that would see them drop to 18^th in the league. The influential Mark Yeates presented Richard Cresswell with a golden opportunity, but his free header was glanced wide when well placed.

Further lacklustre efforts from Yeates and Ward saw the result secured by Rovers, which sees them jump up to eleventh in the table.

Match facts:

Doncaster Rovers: (4-4-2) Sullivan; O’Connor, Martis (Lockwood 76) Mills, Dumbuya; Woods (Hird 79), Stock, Oster, Coppinger; Sharp (Shiels 45), Hayter

Unused Woods, Webster, Wilson

Sheffield United: (4-4-2) Simonsen; Nosworthy, Morgan, Calve, De Laet; Ertl (Lowton 58), Britton, Yeates, Quinn; Bogdanovic (Ward 51), Cresswell (Slew 84)

Unused Wright, Taylor, Bartley, James

Booked: Doncaster Rovers: Dumbuya

Sheffield United: Quinn

Possession: Doncaster Rovers 56%

Sheffield United 44%

Shots on target: Doncaster Rovers 3

Sheffield United 5

Referee: Keith Hill

Match rating: 6/10

A laughing matter, and overpaid prima-donnas

A local game of limited overs cricket was divided today, by a comical self-implosion of an overpaid England squad. Instead of the mandatory respective innings, a two-hour interval was held for the teams to watch the Three-Lions through a projection onto a bed sheet.

It was clear that only the keen football fans stayed to view the capitulation, as others, myself included, maintained the fact that a game of cricket was the aim of the day. It proved to be a fruitless waste of time as Fabio Capello's men produced a dire all round display.

After coming back from 2-0 down to draw level, sorry, trailing 2-1; another example of football's inability to move forward technologically was brought into light. Of course there will be all sorts of 'ifs' and 'buts', but at the end of the day, Frank Lampard's 'ghost-goal' will further heap the pressure on Sepp Blatter.

However, this does not excuse the fact that several thousands of England followers have come to South Africa to view three pathetic performances, a nervy victory, and a total of three goals scored, one from a striker. Then there is the remainder of the English public, who from what I have seen, have far more passion to pull on the shirt than several players do.

It is the same every time, "this'll be our year" is the standard quote from the average Englishman. Yet the realist recognises that overpaid players are going to have little remorse to getting knocked out of the sport's biggest stage.

You may feel this is an overreaction, yet take into account that most of the squad will be pocketing over £100,000-a-week through club earnings, plus payment through representing England. The Premier League, the wealthiest football league on the globe, is allowing players to pick up their pay-cheques and call it a day before the job is done.

Yes the team didn't perform on the day, but after being blown away by the old enemy, England's players' must look at themselves in the mirror before considering redeeming some lost pride, not only of their own, but of the nation aswell. After all, why should we follow a group of prima-donnas who undervalue an event that unifies an entire nation?

Football referrals

Now, this may seem a little far-fetched, but does it not seem that football should follow cricket and rugby's lead by introducing rules to refer any on-pitch decisions to a third referee? There are numerous decisions that take place in the top leagues all across Europe that baffle and confuse fans and viewers alike.

It seems that football is determined in itself to retain the original forms of decision making, in leaving the final word to the officials on the field of play. Yet these simple mistakes can lead to misleading results and ultimately a potential relegation for a club.

Cricket has introduced the 'third umpire' to negotiate the validity of dismissals that are unclear on the field of play. It only occurs in Test matches at the present, after being successfully tested on the Indian tour of Sri Lanka in 2008.

Each team is allowed three referrals per innings in which they can challenge any on-pitch decisions regarding dubious catches, stumpings, run-outs, and now LBWs (Leg-Before-Wicket). It has been widely criticised, but this will come down to the fact that these players have been learning different rules, and this change will have undoubtedly upset the rhythm for which they are used to.

Football has been under heavy fire in recent years regarding goal-line replays and referees' decision-making. Technology is now at a level where television viewers' can adjudge a decision made by the referee or linesman as wrong, and it is not always by the smallest of margins.

The second-tier in English football, the Championship, witnessed the most controversial refereeing decision at a game between Watford and Reading in 2008. Referee Stuart Atwell astonished fans and players alike by awarding a goal to the visitors despite the ball clearly going a few feet wide of the post.

Reading manager Steve Coppell said that the incident would strengthen calls for cameras and goal-line technology to help officials decide whether the ball had gone into the net and crossed the goalline. As a mainstream sport, football is one of very few which do not offer referrals where they are clearly needed.

A suggestion would be to follow crickets system in which a certain number of decisions can be contested by either team. It would allow for blatant mistakes to be cut from a game that carries so many followers around the globe.

Only a few days ago another mistake was spotted by television replays in the Premier League game between Wigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur. England striker Jermain Defoe had given the visitors the lead, despite the fact he had wandered almost two yards offside, which went unnoticed by the linesman.

These decisions will pile the pressure on footballing associations around the globe to make changes in order to preserve the sportsmanship of the game. Not only does it bring the game into a state of disrepute, it is also identifying how stubborn football is becoming in preserving the original choice of appointing the referee as the man with the final word.