Darren Moore's Doncaster Rovers substitution turns the tide

Seeing Rovers in the second half underscored what an exciting season this could be at the Keepmoat. Watching them in the first showed why the word “could” is needed.

Even with five available, all it took was one substitution to change things around.

Darren Moore's side had been guilty of over-complicating matters in the first half. Left-winger James Coppinger was almost playing as a second No 10 at times so often did he come off the left flank, and the middle of the pitch was becoming congested.

Coppinger was given a breather, replaced by Taylor Richards, with James moved from the unusual-for-him position of central midfield to the unusual-for-him position of left wing. Richards made the second for James, who played a decisive part in the third.

With his team 3-2 down, Neil Critchley made a quadruple substitution, then a fifth three minutes later, but it was Moore's solitary alteration which won the game.

Blackpool were livid not to be given a stoppage-time penalty when the ball appeared to striker Brad Halliday's arm but the way the tide had turned, they might well have missed it anyway.

It was left-back Cameron John who gave Doncaster their foothold, getting on the end of a Josh Sims cutback three minutes after the break to get the hosts believing. Five minutes later they were level, James coming off the flank to Richards's beautiful diagonal ball and cushioning it past Chris Maxwell on the volley.

Blackpool had been so dominant in the first half, but they were never really in the second until the kitchen-throwing phase which followed the Tangerines' mass revamp, Gary Madine looking increasingly forlorn with every writhe on the turf referee Ross Joyce ignored the physio from.

James popped up in the inside-right channel after 76 minutes and measured a lovely pass to Sims, poor in the first half. From his pull-back, former Barnsley midfielder Kenny Dougall fouled Matt Smith and Whiteman stepped up to do what Whiteman does.

A moment in the fifth minute hinted at where Doncaster's initial problems would come, goalkeeper Joe Lumley picking out CJ Hamilton when he was aiming for John. Doncaster would try to be too clever by half at times, and their fondness for over-complicating things in the congested central areas would be their undoing at times. The rest of the time it was former Sheffield Wednesday and United striker Madine and Doncaster-born Jerry Yates, heading up a bread-and-butter Blackpool 4-4-2.

When Halliday pulled Madine down in the area after 10 minutes, his partner in crime stepped up to send former Blackpool goalkeeper Lumley the wrong way.

Yates nearly had a second two minutes later, Lumley unconvincingly patting a cross down and the centre-forward's shot ricocheting just the wrong side of the post – or the right side from a Doncaster perspective.

Centre-back Daniel Gretarsson had a thumping shot from distance which Lumley held well shortly before the half-hour, then got back and made an important tackle. He would also have a header over when a short corner was eventually played in.

On a rare occasion when Doncaster were able to work their way into a decent crossing position, Sims's touch let him down. The right flank was their best avenue, though generally when full-back Brad Halliday marauded down it.

The second goal came from Rovers again overdoing it, losing the ball in the middle of the field and seeing Sully Kaikai sprint behind their defence. Lumley came out to win the one-on-one but Hamilton smashed the loose ball into the net.

At that stage it was hard to see anything but a Blackpool win. Less than 10 minutes into the second half, it was hard to see anything but Doncaster triumphing.

Doncaster Rovers: Lumley; Halliday, Wright, Anderson, John; Whiteman, James; Coppinger (Richards 46), Smith, Sims; Okenabirhie.

Unused substitutes: Lokilo, Jones, Amos, Williams, Butler, Ravenhill.

Blackpool: Maxwell; Turton (Gabriel81), Ekpiteta, Gretarsson, Husband (Mitchell81); Hamilton, Dougall, Robson (Ward 85), Kaikai (Anderson 81); Madine, Yates (Woodburn 81).

Unused substitutes: Sims, Ballard.

Referee: R Joyce (Teesside).

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