Doncaster Rovers 1 Luton Town 1: Late starters Doncaster run out of time to claim victory
Doncaster Rovers will be wondering how they did not beat Luton Town, but they would have given themselves a much better chance if they had not waited an hour to stat playing.
Brandon Hanlan's second league goal of 2026 kicked Rovers into life having stooped to the level of a low-quality game until that point.
But, unable to add to it, they had to settle for a 1-1 draw which at least stopped them suffering four straight defeats.
There was no question who was happier with that result, a Hatters team who a couple of years ago were still in the Premier League wasting time to run down the clock once they had surrendered the lead Kasey Palmer gave them.
To say the first half was low on quality would be to flatter it, but Palmer's goal at least gave it a sheen.
The first 26 minutes saw Glenn Middleton force save from Hanlan's cross and Zander Clark keep out a header from his namesake Jordan. Luke Molyneux had a trademark curling shot clip the shins of a defender, then dragged wide with the crowd expectant, and Matty Pearson headed at Josh Keeley but the game was crying out for something special.
Palmer, the ex-Hull City man in a Hatters team full of Yorkshire connection, was booed for the time he took coming to his senses after taking a ball full in the face but had fully recovered by the time the ball came to him on the edge of the area.
His touch saw the ball jump up a touch and just as it was about to hit the turf, he smashed it precisely into the corner of the net. That he had the time and space to do it will have annoyed Grant McCann.
Pearson, still up from a set-piece had an excellent chance to equalise, but volleyed wide from inside the six-yard box after 43 minutes.
The Black Bank, with their incessant drum beat and chant of "Grant McCann's red and white army" did their best to push the team on in the second half.
Middleton had a dipping free-kick well saved in the 49th minute but the corner took an age to fall to Robbie Gotts as it was cleared and whatever was running through the midfielder's mind, it did not stop him totally fluffing his shot.
Palmer put a lovely ball in after 56 minutes which deserved far better than the touch Davy van den Berg put behind Nahki Wells.
When Liam Walsh had a shot well pushed out by Clark shortly afterwards, Emilio Lawrence's shot was blocked.
Eventually Rovers got level and it was a goal worth the wait.
Pearson knocked the ball long, Bailey jumped and headed the ball into the path of Hanlan, who ran onto it to slip the ball into the net on the hour.
From that point on, Doncaster looked the most likely.
Middleton had a shot scrambled off the line after a lovely move played him in and two delicious balls in by Jack Senior failed to produce a goal.
Bailey practically fell over the first yards out at the far post and the second caused confusion but Middleton volleyed way over when it fell to him.
Substitute Harry Clifton produced a good shot on the turn only to find Kelley was equal to it.
"We've had a shot," sang the away fans when Walsh ballooned over in the 87th minute.
Bailey went for a spectacular volley in stoppage time, and made a mess of it, then in the final added minute Molyneux was released down the inside-right channel, only to put his pass behind Hanlan.
The game ended with an unseemly goalmouth scramble in the Luton area which saw Nigel Lonwijk stretchered off five minutes after the final whistle.
It was an untidy end to a game in the win the home team ought to have won.
Doncaster Rovers: Clark; Sterry (Close 65), Byrne, Pearson, Senior; Gotts; Molyneux, Bailey, Lee (Clifton 65), Middleton; Hanlan.
Unused substitutes: McGrath, Gibson, Sharp, Lo-Tutala, Adelakun.
Luton Town: Keeley; Jones, Lonwijk, Odoffin, Johnson; Walsh; van den Berg (Richards 65), Palmer (Saville 73), Clark, Lawrence (Bramall 73); Wells (Cole 73).
Unused substitutes: Shea, Naismith, Kodua.
Referee: A Humphries (Northamptonshire).