Doncaster Rovers 0 Harrogate Town 1: Visitors spoil John Ryan's homecoming and make light of absence of Luke Armstrong to win League Two derby

Rome isn’t built in a day and on an afternoon when expectation was rife among a home support who included former chairman John Ryan - back in a watching brief at his beloved boyhood club for the first time in almost a decade - Doncaster Rovers produced a damp squib of a performance in McCann’s second coming.

Beforehand, it was seemingly set up against a Harrogate side minus star striker Luke Armstrong, who 'made himself unavailable for selection' amid speculation over his future with several clubs apparently keen.

Such is football that Simon Weaver’s side took the blow firmly on the chin and produced an excellent away performance to fully merit their second win in Doncaster in 2023.

The man who replaced Armstrong in Jack Muldoon netted the winner from the spot midway through the second half after Joe Olowu’s challenge on the lively Sam Folarin.

Despite the pre-match jolt regarding Armstrong, you would never have known from a Harrogate perspective.

They produced a very proficient first half of football and all that was missing was a goal.

Harrogate won their battles in midfield with Dean Cornelius and Liam Gibson largely getting the measure of George Broadbent and Owen Bailey, while further forward, the pace and movement of Adraham Odoh and Sam Folarin came to the fore.

At the back, Anthony O’Connor and Rod McDonald policed Joe Ironside well enough.

There was just one discretion from Harrogate, when McDonald’s header fell short, but Luke Molyneux lob sailed over.

Other than that, more of the action arrived towards the other goal.

A big early chance saw Ian Lawlor, making his second debut for Rovers while six others were handed their bows, deny Muldoon, who should have done better after being slotted in by McDonald.

Inswinging corners from James Daly also posed issues for Rovers in a half when Harrogate looked the sharper, with the interval coming at a decent juncture for McCann in order to regroup and maybe address a few issues with the one main bright spot being the performance of Jack Senior, who got forward well and made one key saving tackle to thwart Folarin.

Rovers posted more threat on the restart, but missed a golden chance when the ball broke in front of goal for Jon Taylor. Fatally, he delayed for a split-second and the well-stationed Matty Foulds made a key goalline clearance.

It proved a big moment and Rovers were punished when Folarin went to ground after Olowu’s challenge, with Muldoon slotting in.

Mark Oxley’s first save saw him tip over Bailey’s header, but most of the action was at the other end with the impressive Lawlor denying Matty Daly and Folarin.

Fourteen minutes of added-on time could not yield the goal that the home crowd, whose backing was excellent, craved.