Saturday will be a “red letter day" for me. I am actually going to the match and it will be the first I have been to in Doncaster since the opening game of Richie Wellens’ management which was against Wimbledon in August 2021 which we lost 1-2.
There is something very modern in about Crewe Alexandra (founded in 1877) in that it is named after Edward VII’s wife, so the only major English football club honouring the name of a woman. But I cannot say that I have ever found much which is attractive about them, possibly because they have won two thirds of the matches we’ve played against them when overall I would guess we have been a better team than them.
The last encounter was a bitter blow even though we were far from our best and there may need to be some restraint on the part of our players to ensure that associated emotions do not get out of control.
They have settled to steady form and sit right at the top of the 6-match form table beating Gillingham 2-0 en route having failed only once to gain maximum points from their last 6 fixtures. That was away to Newport (1-2). The other teams they have beaten (without conceding), have generally been in the bottom half.
However the stats suggest that they have generally put in the work to gain the points they have gathered. Only in the Gillingham match have they seemed outplayed which is evident from the You Tube highlights and they were not without good fortune, but in the scoring department they converted their limited chances, leaving Gillingham to bemoan their bad luck.
They have scored more than one goal only twice, so perhaps those expecting to see exciting fare from the ‘railwaymen’ will probably be disappointed. However based on their performance against Gillingham, unless their luck prevails in the same abundance for a second successive match, we have it in us to beat them I think. But we need to pull out a good performance which is not something on which we can rely this season.
I’m hoping that with Maxwell available again and despite the continuing absence of Anderson and Wood we will have the strength to prevail.
3-0 (Sharp/Molyneux)
DPL v Crewe Alexandra
posted on 12/10/24
Quite right. Used to sit on Balby Bridge train spotting waiting for them to go by.
posted on 12/10/24
Boring fact. Sir Nigel Gresley was the name of one of the A4s and he was chief engineer at the Doncaster Plant works. However he was an apprentice at the Crewe works.
posted on 12/10/24
Even more boring fact .Sir Patrick Sterling was the first chief engineer at Doncaster railway plant works. His son Patrick played for Rovers and was mayor of Doncaster.
posted on 12/10/24
3-1 to Rovers. A Billy Sharp hat trick.
posted on 12/10/24
Rovers 2-1 Crewe
Sharp to score ⚽
posted on 12/10/24
More boring facts. I was a fan of the A4s, but never knew them as "Streaks"! I went down to Donny station many times, and really loved it when one was pulling an express that did not sop at Doncaster, and just came thundering through.
Also loved watching the two parts of the Yorkshire Pullman join together. Many passengers were eating breakfast, and occasionally the join was not big bump free, and as a kid, I was amused at what fell over on the tables.
As far as the Rovers are concerned today, we should have won. Hurst after scoring a good goal, shot over from an easy chance, and Billy missed two you would expect him to score, the latter could be classified as a "sitter".
Where was our defence for their goal? No-one willing to tackle????
posted on 14/10/24
We used Hexthorpe Bridge as our observation point on the wooden walkway down to the little station that was originally Great Central Rly property on the Sheffield line. There was a statue of Archibald Stirling on the Balby Road side of the bridge.
posted on 15/10/24
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. The mention of Hexthorpe reminded me of the time there was a ferry over the river Don from Newton farm on the Sprotbough side where we lived. Remember going over when I was very small to visit the exotic Hexthorpe flats.
posted on 15/10/24
I remember swimming in the Don too. That's probably why I'm bald and glow in the dark.
posted on 15/10/24
I spent the war in Cambridge in whose river, the Cam, I paddled. In common with the Don it contained water, but the resemblance went little further.
Such a contrast could be applied to Rovers’ rather laissez faire approach on Saturday compared with the intensity we see in the PL. Being there did bring home to me the current rather lazy style of passing the ball ineffectually amongst the defenders. If the defenders took the ball a bit nearer to the opposition to actually draw them on to challenge for it and thereby open up space amongst them, there would be a purpose. However, it serves no purpose when the opposition just let them get on with it, knowing that beyond them there were 7 colleagues marked by 10 Crewe opponents.
It just doesn’t make sense when Rovers were the home side and Crewe would be content with a draw.
In fact Crewe were compact and quicker when they got on the ball. So we need to see more energy from the start and acceptance that a team going for promotion has to take the game to the opposition.