Doncaster 2 Barnsley 2: Unwanted Tiger has sights on survival with Reds

GERMAN striker Nick Proschwitz showed Doncaster Rovers manager Paul Dickov what he had been missing by rescuing a precious point for Barnsley with two goals in this relegation encounter.
Barnsley's Nick Proschwitz celebrates his first goalBarnsley's Nick Proschwitz celebrates his first goal
Barnsley's Nick Proschwitz celebrates his first goal

Yet he was unhappy with a result which left the Reds still five points adrift of safety though with a couple of games in hand on those just outside the drop zone.

On a rebuilding mission since failing to make his mark at Hull City, following a £2.6m move from SC Paderborm in July, 2012, Proschwitz claimed: “In the end, 2-2 was about right but it’s my fourth game here and we’ve drawn three 2-2.

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“I’m not very happy, to be fair. I was coming here today to get the three points and a win. We have to live with it and try and win the points back on Tuesday.”

That is when Barnsley travel to Wigan and where Proschwitz will be aiming to add to his tally of three goals in four games after signing on loan until the end of the season after Rovers had shown interest in him before landing Billy Sharp back from Southampton.

Sharp was suspended for Saturday’s derby, prompting Dickov to sign on a month’s loan 22-year-old former Chesterfield striker Jordan Bowery, who impressed after arriving from Aston Villa the previous day before cramping up near the end.

It was the experienced James Coppinger, however, who twice popped up in the right place for Rovers, tapping home the equaliser in first-half stoppage time after Luke Steele spilled a cross when colliding with central defender Martin Cranie before putting them ahead in the 55th minute with a shot from the edge of the area which took a slight deflection.

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Proschwitz, who could only persuade Steve Bruce to give him 12 starts for the Tigers, scoring seven goals in 37 appearances, had shown bravery to put Barnsley ahead in front of their 2,894 travelling support in the 27th minute.

Rovers failed to deal with a cross, Jack Hunt headed the ball back in and Proschwitz risked a clattering as he headed the ball over a hesitant Sam Johnstone before knocking the ball home.

Johnstone somewhat atoned after Rovers had taken the lead, going full length to keep out a curling effort from the German, who, however, grabbed an 89th-minute equaliser from a cutback from strike partner Chris O’Grady following a throw-in from loanee defender Hunt.

The goals were not the main talking points, however, both Reds chief Danny Wilson and Dickov agreeing that referee Andy D’Urso had twice got it badly wrong.

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The first incident came when former Rovers player Martin Woods tripped James Husband in the area but the official was unsighted and did not point to the spot.

The second came when a back-header from Cranie from a corner found its way into the net only for D’Urso to spot an infringement which no-one else did.

Dickov also claimed that Dean Furman was wrongly flagged for offside when he threatened to grab the winner in stoppage time but, in the end, neither side had long enough periods of control to claim they deserved to win.

Both seem destined to be in a survival fight until the bitter end, Rovers being just six points clear of third-bottom Charlton, who have three games in hand.

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Proschwitz is confident, however, that he can deliver the goals which can again help Barnsley beat the drop.

“This is my first time in English football that I have had a run of games and always when I play, I score,” claimed the 27-year-old.

“I wasn’t getting the opportunity at Hull to play constantly so I’m thankfull that the gaffer here has given me the confidence and believes in me.

“Hopefully, I can keep going and keep scoring goals.”

“At the moment, I’m concentrating on Barnsley. We have big work in front of us. We want to stay up and I just want to put everything into staying up and what happens after we will see.

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“We have 17 games left. There’s enough points to win. I think we can come out of it. Barnsley have done it in the last few years but we’re not in the changing room saying because we did it last year we’ll do it this. We know it’s hard work.

“We have to focus. Everyone knows we have to give everything.

“The boys who were here last season know what it is like. It’s a tough situation but they know how to come out from there.

“Of course, no-one is dreaming of anything. Everyone knows what’s going on. We have the confidence and we have the quality. We know what we have to do.

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“I’m not 19 or something. I’m 27 and have played a couple of years at this level. I have played against relegation before and I know that we have to do it.”

So, too, do the Rovers players, says Mark Duffy, who, like Coppinger, gave them an attacking threat from wide.

But he felt that it was a case of two points dropped against Barnsley and that they have to cut out the mistakes which are keeping them in trouble.

“We are disappointed, both goals we conceded were really sloppy. Going eight points clear would have been a nice cushion for us but we don’t do things easy,” said Duffy.

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“We have been in a lot of games this season where we have thrown points away and, hopefully, that won’t cost us come the end of the season.

“The gaffer has talked about throwing points away and said that we have to learn from it. If you are going to develop as a player and as a team you have to learn from it. This game is another example of how we have switched off by allowing the ball to go into O’Grady and it’s cost us.

“We have shown that we can compete with some of the top teams in the league, but there have been a few times in games where we have just switched off at key moments and it’s cost us.”

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