Doncaster Rovers 2 Gillingham 2: Ferguson frustrated despite Rovers' spirit

A late comeback ordinarily leaves a manager relieved but Darren Ferguson's over-riding emotion at full-time was disappointment that his Doncaster Rovers side had not taken maximum points off high-flying Gillingham.
Cameron Stewart pulls one back with his free-kick (Picture: Howard Roe)Cameron Stewart pulls one back with his free-kick (Picture: Howard Roe)
Cameron Stewart pulls one back with his free-kick (Picture: Howard Roe)

Rory Donnelly struck early in both halves to put the Gills 2-0 to the good.

But Rovers, despite not playing as well as they had in racking up successive wins, stuck to the task in hand and claimed a point with late goals from Cameron Stewart and Andy Williams.

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Ferguson said: “I’m disappointed because we haven’t won three games on the bounce in the league this season and that was the challenge today.

“It’s a really disappointing result. I don’t know how we’ve not won the game to be honest. We were completely dominant.

“They had two shots on goal in the first half. They scored with one and hit the bar with the other.

“At 2-0 down you’re thinking this could be hard work but we managed to get control of the game again and we got our composure back. At 2-1 I thought we’d go and win it. They’ve twice been 2-0 ahead in games and lost them both to Wigan and Walsall. I felt we’d go on and win it.”

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Stewart, who started the comeback with a sumptuous free-kick, was later stretchered off after landing awkwardly on his neck.

Williams then latched onto a through ball and levelled on 88 minutes before nine minutes of injury time and chances for both sides could not yield a winner.

Doncaster Rovers: Stuckmann, Alcock, McCullough, Butler (Stewart 49), Taylor-Sinclair, Evina, Coppinger, Keegan, Grant, Williams, Main (Mandeville 50), Stewart (Lund 86). Unused substitutes: Chaplow, MacKenzie, Marosi, Middleton.

Gillingham: Nelson, Jackson, Egan, Ehmer, Garmston, A Morris, Wright (McGlashan 72), Dack, Hessenthaler (Loft 90), Samuel, Donnelly. Unused substitutes: G Morris, Osaoabe, Norris, Brennan, Dickenson, List.

Referee: N Miller (Durham).