Doncaster Rovers 4 Accrington Stanley 1: Luke Molyneux and Jordan Gibson treat fans to stunners on opening day

Tyler Walton cancelled out Luke Molyneux’s opener, but the Rovers winger restored the home advantage with an early Goal of the Season award contender. Jordan Gibson then did his best to outdo his teammate, finding the net with a remarkable curling effort .

The result was put further beyond doubt by Billy Sharp, who lashed home on the rebound in the dying embers to mark his homecoming in style.

The opening exchanges were as cagey as would be expected from a season opener. There were signs of summer rust from both sides, with bright ideas dimmed by inability to execute.

However, Rovers did manage some neat exchanges and were the most front-footed side from the get-go. Tom Anderson climbed above a sea of bodies to meet a Kyle Hurst cross following a short corner, but saw his header fly over.

George Broadbent turned Accrington’s defence around with a clipped pass to Molyneux, but the winger was unable to find his balance and bring it down in a promising area.

There was plenty of attacking intent from Doncaster down the left and James Maxwell had fans on their feet when he danced into the box after cutting in. Accrington forced the ball away from danger but only as far as Gibson, who rattled the post with a well-struck effort.

The visitors sought to slow the game down at every opportunity and successfully took the sting out of the game, just as Doncaster were starting to move through the gears.

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Despite Accrington’s best efforts to stifle the hosts, a breakthrough was found before the half-time break. A deft touch with the chest allowed Jamie Sterry to evade a defender and surge into the box, before the defender squared to a waiting Molyneux.

The winger had plenty of company in the busy box but maintained his composure to steer a low shot beyond the reach of Stanley stopper Michael Kelly.

Few would have expected Accrington to immediately roar back following the restart, but the visitors quickly got back on level terms. Connor O’Brien sent a cross in from the right that Walton met and buried with a bullet header.

The equaliser appeared to rock Rovers, who looked disjointed for a spell as they adjusted to being level again. Their first chance to restore their lead came when Molyneux was sent in behind with a defence-splitting pass, only to see his chipped effort find the wrong side of the post.

Molyneux then left the crossbar shaking with a thunderous effort as Doncaster started to rediscover their mojo. A second for the winger started to feel inevitable and it was worth the wait, as he fired the hosts ahead with a long-range stunner.

Any fears of an Accrington comeback were soon extinguished, when Gibson rendered Kelly helpless with a wonderful curling effort from a speculative distance.

Sharp was among the substitutes introduced late on and the home faithful were desperate to see the veteran score on his homecoming. He was freed down the right shortly after his introduction but dragged his shot wide.

However, he eventually got the goal craved by the crowd. Harry Clifton saw an effort kept out but in typical Sharp fashion, the forward was on-hand to hammer home on the rebound.