Hatters down and out at Donny

Doncaster Rovers 2-0 Luton Town
If last week at Nottingham Forest you couldn't tell the difference between a side chasing promotion and one already relegated, here you painfully could.

Hatters were simply awful on their first visit to Rovers' new Keepmoat Stadium as goals from Matt Mills and Mark McCammon left Doncaster only one win away from the Championship.

For the sorry Hatters the final standings for their away campaign say it all - lost 17, drawn five and won only once.

At times it was like a training match for Doncaster as only one man stood in the way of Rovers racking up a cricket score - Luton 'keeper Dean Brill who played out of his skin in a vain attempt to keep them at bay.

The home side took control from the off and forced two good saves from Brill in quick succession. Both came from corners and both chances fell to centre half Mills. The first save was an instinctive block at the near post from Mills' snap shot and the second was even better.

>From a crowded penalty area Mills rose above the pack and powered a header goalwards that Brill acrobatically palmed inches over the crossbar.

It was becoming target practice for Donny as moments later James Coppinger's neat turn gave him room to curl a shot that Brill had to punch to safety.

The save of the game came on 21 minutes when a ball over the top caught Luton's slow defence cold. Gareth Taylor found himself one on one with the goal gaping but Brill made himself big and somehow got enough of a hand to the striker's strong shot to divert it around the post.

The only time Brill was at fault he finally got some help from his teammates. A long cross into the box should have been caught by the Luton shot-stopper but he misjudged the flight of the ball and Lewis Emanuel had to head off the line only for the ball to fall to Adrian Hird. The centre half showed a defender's finish as with the goal wide open he volleyed the ball directly at a startled Don Hutchison.

Doncaster would not be denied a first half goal however cruel it was on the hard-working Brill. McCammon's header from a corner was saved low down by the Hatters' goalkeeper but it spilled out at the feet of the lurking Mills. Stranded on the floor not even Brill could prevent the centre half from the easiest of tap-ins to give Rovers the lead their attractive football deserved.

It took 38 minutes for the Hatters to register their first attempt on goal although when it came it almost produced an equaliser. Sam Parkin's cross beat Donny's veteran 'keeper Neil Sullivan to reach Darren Currie at the far post. The winger chose to head the ball downwards and it bounced just over.

With an hour gone Doncaster looked odds on double their lead but yet again Brill came to Luton's rescue. A long throw was allowed to drop in the area which looped over the Hatters defence and sat up perfectly for McCammon. The big striker's point blank header was stopped by Brill's spectacular leap and one arm block that kept the Rovers fans, buoyed up by news of Millwall beating rivals for 2nd spot Carlisle, from celebrating promotion just yet.

In fact some of the Donny fans hearts must have been in their mouths on 77 minutes when against the run of play Matt Spring's well struck shot from just inside the box produced a save from Sullivan.

That scare aside the party was allowed to start on 81 minutes when McCammon scored Doncaster's second. From a flighted free kick McCammon, whose height dwarfed the vertically-challenged Hatters defence, jumped with his back to goal and his backward header flew past Brill who was rooted to the spot.

TEAM

Luton: Brill; Asafu-Adjaye, Keane, Hutchison, Davis (Andrew '73');

Currie, Spring, O'Leary, Emanuel; Parkin, McVeigh (Robinson '46').

Subs: Beresford, Jackson, Langley.

Attendance: 9,332

Referee: Colin Webster (Tyne & Wear)

RELATED ARTICLE
Post match reaction