Doncaster Rovers 1 Swansea 1: Rovers are just the ticket

Playing a style of football that is manna from heaven to the purists, Rovers are a team worth watching just about every day of the week.

On Saturday, thanks to a bit of long-term thinking from the top, they also got the sort of home gate that their football deserves.

Chairman John Ryan has often questioned the hunger for football in his hometown or asked why some still opt to watch neighbours Leeds United instead.

However as this weekend proved, when the prices are right, Rovers will get near full houses at the Keepmoat Stadium.

With tickets reduced to 10 for adults and just a quid for under-21s, the game against Swansea City attracted the club's biggest attendance of the season, 13,614.

And while the home supporters didn't get quite get the result they would have wanted, they were treated to a performance that will surely bring them back for more.

Manager Sean O'Driscoll said: "The gate receipts will probably be lower than an 8,000 gate at the normal price but to have an extra three or four thousand here makes a difference for everybody.

"The club has to be congratulated, in some senses, for not thinking how much revenue they can get in and thinking what is right for the football club at this time."

A victory would have rounded things off nicely for Rovers but a stoppage-time equaliser earned Swansea a share of the spoils.

Goalkeeper Neil Sullivan stormed down the tunnel at the final whistle prompting an angry rebuke from O'Driscoll. It was a storm in a teacup but the Rovers manager wanted the former Scottish international to warm down with the rest of his team-mates.

Sullivan's anger might have stemmed from the way Angel Rangel was allowed to pounce on a route one ball deep into stoppage time to fire the ball into the roof of the net.

The goal prevented Rovers climbing to fifth in the table – although they remain in seventh spot level on points with sixth-placed Nottingham Forest.

Defender Sam Hird, who had been hugely impressive for the majority of the game, said: "I'd say a couple of people switched off, myself, as a back four dropping, we didn't stay with runners, but we are a team and we have accepted that it was a bad goal to concede.

"There have been a few words said in the dressing room but that's part and parcel of football," he added. "Our team spirit is good and we have a good squad of players. The goalkeeper was not at fault. We switched off as a unit."

Striker James Hayter had scored for the fifth game in a row to put Rovers on the brink of the victory.

Hayter found the net with a diving header on 15 minutes after John Oster turned a Brian Stock corner back into the danger zone.

In the absence of the injured Billy Sharp, Hayter's goals have been more than timely while the signing on a month's loan of Northern Ireland international David Healy was a masterstroke on the part of the club.

Healy's loan has another two games to run and, although the striker has made a good impression, Sharp was back on the bench this weekend.

O'Driscoll said: "It is a difficult one because, hopefully, we will get Billy a game in the week and then he is back in contention. I never thought I'd see the day when I had a million pound striker on the bench!

"David wants to play because he has come from Sunderland reserves where he has not played games. But I don't want to extend his loan and put him back in the same situation if he doesn't play.

"We will sit down and, if we can manufacture a structure where we can get both of them on the pitch at the same time and it doesn't hinder the way the team plays, then definitely. David has been terrific but it is down to Sunderland and (manager) Steve Bruce as well."

Third-placed Swansea had only conceded one goal in their previous eight league games but goalkeeper Dorus de Vries had to earn his corn on Saturday with a number of top drawer saves.

Darren Pratley spurned a golden opportunity for the Swans when one-on-one with Sullivan and was also foiled by a superb last ditch block from Hird.

But overall, a draw was probably a fair result.

"Some people may look at this as two points lost but it is still a point against one of the best sides in the division," said Hird afterwards. "Seventh is a good position to be in and, if we can keep this run going, we are confident that we can push for the play-offs."

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