Here’s Bazza’s take on saturday evenings game.

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I love a plan when it comes together and the weekend couldn’t have fallen into place any better. I had to go to Doncaster of all places on Friday night on business and was going to be there all weekend! When the kick off time got moved it meant I could get to the game instead of missing it due to work commitments and then my brother who lives in Texas sent me an email to say that he was paying a flying visit to England over the weekend and was there any chance of taking in a game? It was meant to be! The only thing that was needed to round off such fateful perfection was a win.

I finished work at about four p.m. and rushed back to the hotel. I am glad to say that my brother had made it but it turns out only by the skin of his teeth. He had been in Switzerland skiing and nearly missed his flight from Geneva Saturday morning. Having got off the plane in Birmingham a train going to Doncaster was at the platform! The Keepmoat Stadium was six miles from our hotel and we found it easily enough because of excellent signposting. The SatNav wanted to take us in a completely different direction so the postcode I was given for the ground was rubbish! As is the case with the new modern grounds in the country the park and walk facilities were good and we were soon walking towards the ground a few hundred yards away. We met a colleague of mine on the way so the coincidences were piling up. We invited him to join us and took our seats.

The only thing that I was concerned about was the cold stiff wind that had got up throughout the day. It was clearly going to have an effect on the match and it was going to be a question of which of the sides coped better. Blues set up with a 4-5-1 with a solid looking back four of Queudrue, Ridgewell (back from injury), Jaidi and Carr with Cameron Jerome up front. This system had worked away from home before and one of our best performances, the game at Bristol City, was achieved using this formation. On the flip side, the debacle at Blackpool was an example of when it didn’t! However, the plan was sensible when you consider the way Doncaster had run circles around us at St Andrews earlier in the season despite the fact we scraped a 1 – 0 win with ten men. The extra man in midfield made sense. The three central players being Carsley, Fahey and Bowyer and with Seb Larsson on the right and Bouazza on the left the formation had width and pace to it.

Doncaster started brightly and following an unnecessary foul by Jaidi just outside our box Taylor was forced into a smart save at the foot of his left hand post from the resulting driven shot from Martin Woods. Following this Blues took control of the game and spurred on by the excellent Bowyer and Carsley the lads bossed the game from then on. Despite the blustery conditions Blues were on top and the pace of Bouazza was causing Doncaster problems. Jerome was leading their centre-halves a merry dance and it was clear they were struggling to cope with him. The work rate was high the tempo fast and the majority of the breakdowns were going to blue shirts. The plan was working. Seb Larsson was a threat down the right flank and Blues were using the stiff cross wind well to drift the ball down his wing into the space behind the full back. After 19 minutes one such pass was latched onto by the Swede whose first time cross looped up into the breeze. Jerome waited for the ball to come down whilst shrugging off the attentions of Brian Stock and James Chambers. He did brilliantly to use his body strength to not only get his head to the ball which was coming down from a steepling height but to guide it back across Neil Sullivan into the far corner from whence it had come. This was a far more difficult finish than it looked because of the ball’s trajectory. I was delighted for Jerome because he has been due a goal which was thoroughly deserved following recent performances.

The travelling support was in good voice with loud renderings of ‘Keep Right On.’ The players were responding in kind with the sort of performance that Bluenoses demand. We looked solid defensively and were looking likely to catch Doncaster on the break as Jerome and Bouazza especially terrorised the host’s defence. A howler by the Doncaster back line put Jerome clean through on goal. Unfortunately, his first touch took him wide to his right but he still had enough time and room to have cut back in. He elected to go straight which made the final shot more difficult than it should have been and the chance sailed narrowly high and wide. This glorious chance should have been taken but a few minutes later with half time rapidly approaching another mistake by the Doncaster right back, Chambers was seized on by Bouazza. A sloppy back pass with not enough on it was toe poked past the stranded Sullivan to send the faithful behind the goal delirious; 2 – 0 game over! Er – spoke too soon as barely a minute later Stephen Carr headed a powerful goal bound header from Mills off the line following a corner. 2 – 1 may have given us a nervy awkward second period and confidence to a form team who largely hadn’t been in the game. Sighs of relief all round, half time whistle, time for a pint!

The second half followed the pattern of the first with Blues in control. Further chances were created most of which were thumped over the bar when on target shots were in order. The only chance of any note that came for Doncaster was a free header eight yards out which was placed meekly straight at Taylor. With better finishing this victory could have been very comprehensive. It was good to see O’Connor back in the fray as a second half substitute and de la Cruz made his debut coming on for the injured Franck Queudrue late on. Scott Sinclair replaced Bouazza to rousing applause for his best performance in a Blues shirt.

This was a very good performance against a decent side which makes it all the more pleasing. I will not say that we don’t still have flaws but the team are working harder, playing with more confidence and belief and are pressing the ball and keeping it better when we get it. More of the same please lads and with more clinical finishing promotion is in sight.

KRO SOTV