Doncaster Rovers 3 Blackpool 3: Five things we learned

It was a game in which Gary Bowyer’s players proved their mettle by equalising three times, even if their attacking play wasn’t occasionally matched at the other end.

What else did our day at the Keepmoat Stadium teach us?

Who’d be a keeper?

It wouldn’t have been surprising if Blackpool keeper Ryan Allsop and his Rovers counterpart, Ian Lawlor, had greeted each other with raised eyebrows at full-time.

Six goals scored and they were not at fault for any of them as they all showed the pitfalls of playing in goal.

Allsop’s ill fortune came via an opener which struck the bar and then rebounded into the net via his back, while he wasn’t helped by his defence for Rovers’ second and third.

As for Lawlor, he came up against unstoppable efforts from Sean Longstaff and Oli Turton, while Callum Cooke’s strike was a calm and clinical one.

Licence to thrill

The Seasiders’ four games in league and cup so far this season have yielded 13 goals.

Nothing particularly out of the ordinary you might think but all four matches have seen Bowyer’s players impress and excite going forward.

Longstaff, Turton and Cooke might have taken centre stage on Saturday but they were the latest in a line of players to shine in attack.

Five different men have chipped in with goals this season; a number which could have been higher had they taken a fraction of the chances created so far.

One point gained or two dropped?

Given the circumstances of Saturday’s draw, it wasn’t surprising that both managers felt they could have won the game.

In the Seasiders’ case, how many teams will score three goals away from home and fail to win this season?

On the opposite side of the coin, Rovers’ boss Darren Ferguson would have been frustrated at seeing his side fail to preserve a lead on three occasions.

For the neutral, however, it made for a gripping afternoon’s viewing with both sides committed to playing good football.

A hamstrung counter attack

Things looked promising for the Seasiders just before the 20-minute mark when they cleared a Blackpool corner.

The ball reached Kyle Vassell, whose pass allowed Mark Cullen to get in behind the Doncaster defence with a clear sight of goal and only 18 yards out.

That was as good as it got, however, as that was the precise moment the striker’s hamstring elected to give up on him.

The chance was lost but so was Cullen; while his replacement, Cooke, scored one of the goals, it’s to be hoped Cullen will not face a prolonged absence given his displays so far this season.

A chance to shine

One thing any absence for Cullen may do is potentially open the door for new signing Scott Quigley.

The 24-year-old’s arrival from The New Saints could not have been better timed in that he offers another viable alternative up front.

Some may have been surprised he wasn’t named on the bench at the Keepmoat Stadium but throwing him in after one-and-a-half training sessions would have been too big an ask.

It will be interesting, then, to see what Bowyer does this weekend; field Quigley, gave Kyle Vassell another chance, play them both, or do something else entirely?