Doncaster Rovers 1 Sunderland AFC 1: Darren Moore feels later equaliser was deserved

Fejiri Okenabirhie's 93rd-minute finish earned Darren Moore's side a point against Sunderland at the Keepmoat Stadium, with the Donny boss adamant that his side were good value for a share of the spoils.

"To get the goal in that way and to unpick them like that with Brad [Halliday's] individual bit of skill, I was pleased with the players," he said.

"I felt they deserved it for the way they kept at it. They kept at it, kept at it, kept at it and got their just rewards in the end.

"Sunderland set their stall out. They are a very, very strong rearguard to try and break down and that's probably why that goal meant more to me and was as an important a goal this season because the of the way the boys kept probing."

The only incident of any note during the opening half an hour was a huge Sunderland shout for a penalty, which the referee waved away.

Lynden Gooch got to the ball ahead of Wright before being wiped out by the Rovers centre-half, but John Busby turned his back.

With half-time approaching, the Black Cats began to build a head of steam, with the hosts dropping further and further back towards their own goal.

Tom Flanagan nodded a decent headed opportunity over the cross-bar, while Charlie Wyke got in behind down the left and forced debutant Joe Lumley into a save at his near post.

With Doncaster trapped inside their own territory and the visitors continuing to move the ball sharply as they turned the screw an away goal looked inevitable.

And it arrived, in some style, on 43 minutes when Gooch laid the ball off for Grant Leadbitter to drill a stunning 30-yard effort into the top corner.

It's fair to say that Rovers desperately need half-time, and boss Moore clearly used the interval to good effect as his charges came out and played with far more purpose and intensity.

Their determination to persist with playing out from the back looked like it would be their undoing in the first period and, while they continued to do so after the resumption, a generally tidier showing enabled them to make something resembling progress towards the Wearsiders' goal.

Okenabirhie saw a strike blocked inside the away box less than a minute after the break, then Jason Lokilo send a volley narrowly the wrong side of the post.

Matt Smith was next to try his luck, dragging one just wide, then the same player spun neatly and rolled the ball into the feet of Okenabirhie, who should have done far more with his team's best opening of the game than fire tamely at Remi Matthews.

At the other end, Gooch's curler was comfortably held by Lumley, then the Black Cats winger was denied in a very promising position by Wright's superb block.

If Moore had hoped that his players were going to throw the kitchen sink at Sunderland during the closing stages then he would initially have been disappointed with what he saw, but clearly Rovers never gave up hope.

With the match deep into stoppage-time, Halliday pushed forward from right-back and into the away penalty area, from where he was able to deliver a low cross that the Sunderland centre-halves failed to react to, allowing Okenabirhie to stab home at the back post.

Doncaster: Lumley; Halliday, Wright, Anderson, John; Whiteman, James (Coppinger 83); Lokilo (Richards 63), Smith, Sims; Okenabirhie. Unused substitutes: Jones, Amos, Williams, Butler, Ravenhill.

Sunderland: Matthews; McLaughlin, Wright, Flanagan; O’Nien, Scowen, Leadbitter, Hume; Maguire (Embleton 82), Wyke, Gooch (Power 90+1). Unused substitutes: Budge, Sanderson, Graham, Diamond, Grigg.

Referee: John Busby.