Doncaster Rovers 1 Oxford United 2: Rovers rock bottom after late reverse

In the 43 league matches that have elapsed since, including Tuesday night's latest Keepmoat meeting with the Us, Rovers have won just seven times, taking a pitiful 29 points from a possible 129.

It does not constitute merely relegation form, but wooden spoon statistics.

In a torrid 2021 that cannot end fast enough for the managerless League One club - who looked every inch a side entrenched in the bottom four for the majority of this latest episode - there was a cruel finale when Oxford finally found their shooting boots to score the winner three minutes from time from a seasoned professional in James Henry.

It was compounded at the end with the news of Crewe's victory which dumped Rovers to the foot of the table.

Whoever is handed the Doncaster job on a permanent basis has a truly colossal task to try and change the narrative of a desperate campaign thus far.

For the most part, Rovers looked a side low on confidence, physicality, and quality, with one or two honourable exceptions.

They included Askern lad Branden Horton, who followed his first senior goal for the club on Saturday with an encore - a splendidly struck low drive to put the hosts on terms in the 74th minute.

It should come as no surprise that the player who provided that telling opportunity in Tommy Rowe, one of the few genuine leaders in Rovers' line-up, was another.

No coincidence either that the pair were the club's two goalscorers at the weekend.

Aside from that, there was little else in truth.

Rovers fans did get their wish in seeing Omar Bogle's first-team exile end when he came on in the second half. But there was no storybook return on his first home appearance since the opening day of a troubled campaign thus far - for team and self.

For any prospective managers whose representatives were watching developments from the stands, there was surely the stark realisation that saving Rovers' season would represent a colossal achievement. The magnitude of that task was suitably reinforced and how.

Yes, Rovers - under the interim command of Gary McSheffrey for a second game - showed semblance of fight on the resumption, but there was a distinct lack of quality. They are where they are for a reason.

Rovers’ starting line-up, in a 3-4-2-1 formation, had a decidedly greenhorn look about it, with the attention drawn to the names of Bogle and Ed Williams as opposed to those on the pitch.

The first-half was suitably grim from a home perspective with Rovers’ difficulties particularly apparent down both flanks in a defensive sense.

Oxford exposed them time after time, with the fact that they failed to put the game to bed after Mark Sykes’s early strike being the only consolation.

Several players looked what they are - untried young professionals thrown into the furnace of a League One relegation fight. Lirak Hasani and Ben Blythe toiled. They were by no means alone.

Meek defending yielded Oxford’s opener after Rovers could not cope with an initial surging run from Gavin Whyte. Lines were not criminally cleared and Sykes surged into the box and fired home high past Louis Jones.

Sykes almost made it two, with Jones beating away his effort after Rovers were undressed down their left, with gallows humours soon surfacing from the home faithful amid the December cold.

A chant of Bogle’s name followed and Rovers certainly needed something after a feeble first half offering at both ends which ended with Cameron Branagan firing into the side-netting and Jones - gathering unconvincingly to keep out Whyte’s shot at his near-post.

Joe Dodoo and Jordy Hiwula were called for at the break as Rovers switched to a 4-2-3-1 and an early chance which was fired over by the latter represented the first overdue stirrings of something from the hosts.

The fact that United had not put the game beyond doubt was another crumb of comfort, reinforced when Whyte raced clear after Hasani’s poor mistake, but could not beat Jones, who kept Rovers in it.

There was angst for the visitors when chances came and went and for the confidence-sapped Hiwula when he put a good opportunity wide.

Eventually, Oxford got their act together courtesy of Henry's emphatic late drive and it was another deep wound for Rovers.

Doncaster Rovers: Jones; Knoyle, Anderson, Blythe (Dodoo 45); Hasani, Smith, Galbraith, Horton; Barlow (Bogle 69), Rowe; Cukur (Hiwula 45). Substitutes unused: Dahlberg, E Williams, Ravenhill, Faulkner.

Oxford United: Eastwood; Long, Moore, Thorniley, Seddon; McGuane (R Williams 86), Kane, Brannagan (Henry 45); Sykes, M Taylor, Whyte (Holland 69). Substitutes unused: Plumley, Forde, Agyei, Bodin.

Referee: J Oldham (Derbyshire).