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Doncaster 3, Blackpool 3 - full match report
IT'S a good job this game was a cracker – it had to be to match the pre-match excitement.
Forget the football, what happened before kick-off was just as good – an almost X-rated singer, the longest team announcement in the history of football and the new Robbie track.
"Ladies and gentleman, it's the one, the only, Robbie Williams," shouted Doncaster's PA man, as if hosting Steve Wright in the Afternoon.
Apparently the pop star's new single was played at all Football League grounds at five to three on Saturday – must have cost his record company a packet.
Before that the PA guy read out the team, not just the name of each player but who was sponsoring them as well.
Thus it went something like "number six, sponsored by J Wilkinson and Son Scaffolding, James Chambers; number 16, sponsored by Solutions For Cleaning, John Oster ..." and so on.
The game had almost started by the time he had finished. And what made it worse was when he got to one of the substitutes ... "Number 33, still available for sponsorship, Gary Woods." The poor so and so. We're in November and he's still not got a sponsor, which he's reminded of before every home game – a real boost for the lad's confidence.
The piece de resistance though was a young female singer who took to the pitch.
It's hard to describe what she was wearing, other than to say it was skintight and involved a fishnet-style top over one half of her body, with only a strategically placed heart-shaped patch covering her dignity. It left so little to the imagination even Jordan might have thought twice about wearing it.
She paraded about just yards from where all the young mascots were standing, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads.
The poor mites probably required a lie down afterwards – mind you, we all did come the end of 90 minutes of football which was as good as you'll see.
Not perhaps in terms of defensive play, but attacking-wise it was terrific.
Both sides played football the right way and the entire contest ebbed and flowed from one end of the pitch to the other.
Young referee Michael Oliver enabled this to happen by – and God forbid the FA find out about this for fear of repercussions – actually allowing players to make physical challenges and not blowing his whistle.
It led to non-stop action and the only surprise of the day was that we didn't get more than six goals.
After twice coming from behind and getting within four minutes of taking all three points, Pool will be disappointed they didn't hold out to seal victory.
But they shouldn't be downhearted.
This was a good point at a tough venue.
Doncaster have drawn nine of their 15 games – more than any other side in the division and an indication of how solid and difficult to beat they are.
It was also a fair result.
The home side had the best of the first period, Pool – recovering brilliantly from the shock of conceding 11 seconds into the second half – were the better side thereafter.
Holloway made four changes to the team which drew at Swansea last weekend, Ian Evatt, Jay Thomas, Ben Burgess and Brett Ormerod stepping in.
Thomas had probably the most to prove. Not only was he chosen to replace suspended talisman Charlie Adam, he is still to win over the crowd properly since his loan move from Arsenal.
No need to worry on that front any more. Not only did he score a super goal, he was the best player on the park by some distance, seemingly able to run at and beat opponents at will.
But it was Doncaster who struck first.
Skipper Martin Woods latched onto a loose pass from Jason Euell and burst half the length of the pitch, before exchanging passes with John Oster and planting a shot past the wrong-footed Matt Gilks.
It was first goal Gilks had conceded in the Championship this season – and the first time Pool had conceded in four hours and 35 minutes of football (since Crystal Palace).
Doncaster were well on top for a while but out of the blue, the Seasiders levelled on 22 minutes.
A lovely backheel by Thomas enabled Alex Baptiste to win a corner. David Vaughan took it and Ian Evatt, rising at the back post, headed through keeper Neil Sullivan's legs.
Brett Ormerod claimed he got a touch – Evatt was having none of it and the two were still bickering about it long after the final whistle. Who cares – it went in.
Billy Sharp missed a good chance, then squandered an absolute sitter after Dean Shiels had split Pool's defence with a lovely diagonal pass. Gilks saved well but Sharp should have buried it.
But Pool had the last big chance of the half, Ormerod shooting straight at Sullivan from barely six yards when he probably didn't realise the space he had.
After being under the cosh for most of the half, Ian Holloway was no doubt glad of the chance to lecture his players on what was required in the second period. No doubt 'keep it tight' was among his instructions, which is why he would have been sick to the back teeth to see the hosts go 2-1 up 11 seconds after kick-off.
Pool didn't touch the ball after the restart, Gareth Roberts whipping in a cross from the left wing and Sharp – finally proving that he is a good striker after all, the one who scored all those goals at Scunthorpe a few seasons back – fired in at the near post.
But this was when Pool were most impressive.
Instead of arguing among themselves or letting shoulders droop, they immediately responded and began to play some lovely stuff.
They got their reward on 63 minutes when, moments after Ben Burgess had missed a bit of a sitter, Thomas received the ball on the edge of the area, twisted past three opponents and slotted a low, angled drive beyond Sullivan. A class goal.
Speaking of which there was another one with 13 minutes remaining.
Gilks had made a couple more excellent saves – he is in real good form at the moment – when Burgess was fed by Baptiste. On the edge of the area, the striker steadied himself and finished like Robinho, curling the ball over Sullivan from 20 yards.
It's among Burgess's best in a tangerine shirt and another example of how valuable he is to the side, whatever any of his detractors might say.
It looked like it would be the winner until, with Pool perhaps guilty of sitting back too deep, Doncaster grabbed a goal out of nothing at the start of stoppage time.
Long ball into the box, sub James Hayter headed down and Sharp had time and space to score. The Seasiders claimed in vain for offside, but – as the TV replays later proved – it wasn't.
It was almost disaster moments later when substitute John Spicer got free inside the area and shot, but Gilks dived to his right to divert the ball past the post.
What a game. You are unlikely to see a better one all season.
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Weather for Blackpool
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
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