Written by Max
Ground #61
Friday 10th May 2024
EFL League 2 Play Off Semi Final 2nd leg
Doncaster Rovers 0-2 Crewe Alexandra (2-2 on Aggregate – Crewe win 4-3 on penalties)
Attendance: 12,889
Entry: £20
Doncaster Rovers were formed in 1879 and were elected into the football league in 1901. The club spent the majority of their history bouncing around between the 3rd and 4th division before they were relegated into non-league in 1998.
The club regained their football league status in 2003 after winning the Conference and quickly rose through the leagues, winning the Football League Trophy in 2007 (beating today’s opponents in the semi final!), and winning promotion to the championship just a year later. This positive time for the club coincided with the building of their current ground which opened in 2007. The club spent 4 of the next 5 years at this level before dropping back to what you would say is their natural level since.
In 2022 the club were relegated back into league 2, alongside Crewe, and both clubs went into today’s game hoping to get back to the 3rd tier after 2 seasons away.
Doncaster went into this play off semi final 2nd leg in a buoyant mood having walked to a 2-0 lead in the away leg earlier in the week. Their fans were packed in behind the goal over an hour before kick off singing and waving their flags as they looked to celebrate their clubs qualification to a Wembley final….
The mood in the away end was one of quiet optimism though. An early goal either way would either make a game of it, or end it as a competitive fixture. Luckily for us it took just 5 minutes for that question to be answered as a corner kick was headed home by the, unbelievably, unmarked goal scoring centre back Mickey Demetriou.
Just 10 minutes later and the away end was in dreamland as a scramble in the box was put into his own goal by Doncaster’s James Maxwell and just 16 minutes into the game the aggregate score was level!
As half time came the away end couldn’t believe what they had seen. This was a completely different performance to the one The Alex had put in just 4 days earlier in the home leg, and by the looks of things this had surprised Doncaster themselves who didn’t know what had hit them.
As the second half went on Crewe began to fade and multiple substitutes disrupted the flow. The hosts couldn’t really test the Crewe keeper though, who was only making his 5th appearance for the club after being signed on an emergency loan after the clubs 2 goalkeepers were both out with muscle injuries.
There were a few nervy moments including a convincing looking penalty shout from Doncaster as the forward was tripped running into the box but it was waved away. As the clock ticked past 10PM the full time whistle blew and we were going to extra time!
As is often the case with the extra half hour, chances were few and far between with both sides scared to lose the game they had put some much effort into. There was 1 big chance to each side but after 120 minutes on the night we were into a penalty shoot out to decide who would make it to Wembley!
Crewe won both of the coin tosses meaning we would not only be taking the first penalty, but also taking it in front of the large away following behind the goal meaning we had a fantastic view for the nerve shredding moments to come.
After 1 miss a piece early on the 3rd, 4th and 5th penalties from the alex were confidently dispatched. This meant the pressure was on Doncaster winger Hakeeb Adelakun who stepped up needing to score to take it to sudden death…….
It was the emergency loanee to the rescue as he saved the ball down to his left to absolute bedlam in the away end
For the first time in 11 years, CREWE ALEXANDRA ARE GOING TO WEMBLEY!
Now to rate a special night in Doncaster:
Location: 7/10
The Eco-Power Stadium is located just over a mile and half south of Doncaster train station meaning there’s just over half an hours walk to the ground. The walk itself is very scenic as it takes you round a lake before winding through a park. This walk was lovely in the beautiful May evening sun!
The ground is right next to a large retail park where free parking was offered for today’s game, although usually this isn’t the case so it could be more difficult to find a space near the ground.
There is a beefeater pub on this retail park which was packed full of optimistic Rovers fans ahead of the game. A short walk round the lake is another retail park which includes a number of restaurants including a Nando’s, but more about that later!
Kit: 6/10
Doncaster’s kit this season is their trademark look of horizontal red and white hoops. The kit is completed with black shorts and red and white socks.
Although the kit looks pretty smart, as is usually the case with hooped kits the sponsor and numbers on the back are almost impossible to make out from the stands which is a shame.
Facilities: 8/10
The concourse in the away end was one of the more spacious we have come across in a football league stadium to date. Even with over 1,200 Alex fans crammed in to the corner of the ground there was plenty of space under the stand pre game.
There was also a table in the middle for people to stand around and eat their food at which is something I don’t think we have seen before either.
Look: 8/10
The Eco-Power stadium is a modern dome design with 4 almost identical stands. Although not the most inspiring or unique of designs the ground looks very smart and with no pillars anywhere to be seen a great view is to be had from any of the grounds 15,231 seats.
I had to mention the stand to our right being named after Doncaster Rovers legend James Coppinger. The midfielder made over 600 appearances for Rovers during 17 years at the club. The sort of loyalty and longevity you rarely see these days, especially at this level!
One unique feature we liked about the ground were the floodlights which towered from the roof. This made for a fantastic photo as the ground came into view on our walk to the ground.
Food and Drink: 6.5/10
As we arrived in Doncaster with plenty of time until kick off we decided to go for a walk round the lake to see what the local area had to offer. We found a Nando’s and decided to eat there in the sun before heading back to the ground.
This meant that for the first time ever we broke our own rule and did not eat within the ground! Our decision was proved a good one as we arrived into the ground to see the typical football league offering of Pukka Pies and pre packaged hot dogs which we have tasted and rated multiple times in the past.
There was a decent selection of drinks including the all important dark fruits, so the bonus half point is given! Amazingly, even with this fantastic news, Emma opted for a pre match apple cider. She’s changed!
TOTAL SCORE: 35.5/50
So, what can I say to sum that one up!?
We watch football all over the country, at every level, in every weather and sometimes we question why we do it. Nights like tonight are the answer! This is one I will remember for the rest of my life!
2-0 down after the home leg, with no hope of getting a result. To be honest I was 50/50 whether or not to bother buying a ticket and in the end only really did it to tick off a new ground that we may not play at for a few seasons. But underestimate Crewe at your peril, and as we have shown multiple times across this season, whenever we are the underdog beware!
So I guess there’s only one more thing to say…..
See you at Wembley!!!!
If you want to see where this score puts Doncaster on our leaderboard you can check out the table here: Football League Leaderboard.
If you’d like to see our Leaderboard of Non-League Grounds click here: Non-League Leaderboard.
Emma’s Ground Guide 