Doncaster Rovers 3 Colchester 0: Grant McCann's dominant side take a huge stride towards promotion

Anything in the top three would do Grant McCann right now but with two games to go, the four-point gap to a fourth-placed Walsall who have won just two of their last 19 games looks unbridgeable.

So why not think about the title? This 3-0 win over a Colchester side still harbouring play-off aspirations of their own should have been a lot more comfortable after a ruthless opening 22-minute salvo from Harry Clifton and Jordan Gibson, until Patrick Kelly put the seal on it with a stoppage-time third.

But it still sent Rovers top, a point ahead of Port Vale who needed a late equaliser against Grimsby to drop to second, and three ahead of Bradford - who for so long had victory sewn up against Chesterfield, only to concede twice, including a 92nd-minute equaliser, to drop two points.

Doncaster will clinch a promotion they have been heading towards for 18 months under McCann - after last year’s second-half assault on the play-offs – with victory against Yorkshire rivals Bradford on Saturday. They may only need a point.

Sensing what was at stake, Rovers fans had begun in fine voice, determined to lift their team from the start and nine minutes in their energy was rewarded.

Jamie Sterry had already had two opportunities to burst into space from right-back and on the third occasion he cut inside on the edge of the area, swivelled and released Molyneux down the right.

Good Friday’s hat-trick hero was only too happy to turn provider this time, fizzing a ball across the face of the six-yard box for Clifton to side-foot home, prompting instant chants of ‘we are top of the league’ from the Doncaster faithful.

Ted Sharman-Lowe did well to race out of his box and intercept a through ball that Colchester’s Tyreece Simpson threatened to get on the end of.

It was a momentary flicker of attacking intent from Colchester before Rovers swept up the other end to double the lead on 22 minutes.

Two Colchester players collided trying to stop Molyneux collecting the ball in his own half, right under the nose of Us boss Danny Cowley who went ballistic at the fourth official. The referee waved play on and Molyneux punished Colchester again, this time skipping past two players then a third as he cut in on his favoured left foot before playing a little inside pass to Gibson who lashed the ball past Matt Macey from eight yards.

Colchester barely laid a glove on Rovers in the first half but had clearly been given a rocket by Cowley at the break as they resumed with more purpose, Kyreece Lisbie letting the hosts off the hook when blazing over after a cutback found him in acres of space on the penalty spot.

Owura Edwards then stepped inside Sterry on the left and flashed a shot across goal that Sharman-Lowe did well to beat out.

Despite their two goals Rovers had created little going forward and as Colchester came more into the game, the anxiety in the stands grew. They were indebted to a captain’s clearance from Owen Bailey as he headed away under pressure from Simpson who was steaming in to connect with Lisbie’s cross.

Colchester were getting physical in their desperation to keep their own play-off hopes alive and it boiled over into recklessness when Edwards was dismissed for a second bookable offence for remonstrating with the referee following a meaty challenge on Doncaster’s Bailey.

Rovers started to exploit the extra space and nearly had a third when two substitutes combined, Ethan Ennis releasing Zian Westbrooke but he shot over.

Kelly sealed the win when he bundled home the rebound after Ennis had seen his shot cleared off the line, Molyneux again the architect down the right.