Doncaster refusing to be blown off path to safety

Supporters of both Doncaster Rovers and Middlesbrough will just be thankful there is no encore in 2013-14.

Receiving scant marks for artistic merit in a production that was badly choreographed, this dire spectacle saw the only star performance arrive from the wind, which swirled across the bobbly Keepmoat surface almost from first minute to last.

A point each it was and no gongs required as Oscars season approaches. Although, on the balance of play, Rovers supporters could reserve any right to gripe about not picking up the three points after showing more endeavour and urgency in the testing conditions.

To be fair, if this game had been played at Christmas, both sides would have gladly taken a point, with it probably symptomatic of the pair’s improvement since then that a draw represented a bit of an opportunity lost.

Although there was some consolation, with both back fours who were busy bearing plenty of gifts in the first half of the campaign now starting to possess a meaner-looking sheen.

For Rovers – who had the best chance of the game shortly before the hour-mark when Chris Brown somehow contrived to fire over from close range after a telling cross from Billy Sharp – it was a third successive clean sheet at home and fourth league game without defeat.

Plus it was a point more than relegation rivals Barnsley, Charlton, Millwall and Bolton accrued on Saturday with Rovers now five points clear of the drop zone.

That factor was something seized upon by home captain Richie Wellens, who will be coolling his heels for the next two games against Brighton and Barnsley after picking up his 10th booking of the season for a first-half challenge on Boro counterpart Grant Leadbitter.

Wellens said: “In the next six games, we’ve got Barnsley, Yeovil and Bournemouth and that will determine whether we pull away from it.

“Five weeks ago, you would have probably said it was three from six and now the likes of Bolton, Blackpool and Birmingham are looking over their shoulders. There’s probably nine or 10 teams now that are involved in it.”

Specifically on Saturday’s encounter, which saw Rovers hand a debut to goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, he added: “The game was similar to the Blackpool one last week. Wind and football don’t really mix well together and it was a bouncy, bobbly pitch which spoiled it. But we stuck in there and ground it out; a point was probably fair, although we were probably the most likely team to win it.

“In the last four games we’ve picked up two points per game, while we played Middlesbrough two or three months ago and got beat 4-0, so we’ve come a long way.”

It is fair to say anyone looking for White Rose footballing drama would have been better off at Elland Road and Hillsborough on Saturday, with this Yorkshire’s third weekend derby in every way.

For Boro, whose 4,254 travelling contingent was the biggest away support in the country on Saturday, there was little to get excited about as they failed to find the net for the third successive game with their goal drought now creeping up towards the six-hour mark.

While a run of just one league defeat in nine matches, incorporating seven clean sheets is a far more satisfying statistic, Boro – whose sole worthwhile chance saw Mustapha Carayol fire wide on 53 minutes after racing clear – clearly remain a work in progress on the attacking front.

It was uninspiring stuff. Boro’s Basque-born manager Aitor Karanka may have limited vocabulary when it comes to the English language, yet you only needed to look at his demeanour after the game to comprehend his disappointment. Sometimes no words are required.

The signings of Danny Graham and Lee Tomlin had at least provided Boro fans with something to shout about the night before, with the former handed his second debut after signing on loan for the rest of the season from Sunderland following his early return from a barren spell at Hull City where he found the net just once.

Given a warm welcome from the bumper Boro contingent when he came on, Graham is hoping to relight Boro’s attacking fires and kick-start his own career after a desperate 2013 when he found the net just twice and played for three clubs.

Graham said: “Over 4,000 travelled down to Doncaster and gave me a great reception, which was very nice. But we were disappointed not to get three points, which was the most important thing.

“It would have been nice to send them back up the road with three points so they could have enjoyed their weekend.”

He added: “Last year was the worst of my professional career and it’s a new year and new challenge for me now.

“I was not getting the starts at Hull and I am not a player who wants to sit around on the bench and pick up money. I’m not in football for that and when Middlesbrough offered me the chance, I jumped at it and, hopefully, 2014 can be a lot better for me.

“It didn’t quite work out for me at Hull but that has happened before to me in my younger days and I am not going to get too down about it.

“I’m comfortable back at Middlesbrough and know exactly what this division is all about and had two wonderful seasons at Watford. The Championship hasn’t changed a great deal since then and I know what to expect.”

Saturday’s encounter had two referees with Andy Davies damaging his calf at the break and being replaced by Mark Brown.

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Doncaster Rovers: Johnstone; Tamas, Meite, Khumalo, Husband; Coppinger, Wellens, Keegan (Furman 46), Duffy (Cotterill 79); Brown, Sharp. Unused substitutes: Maxted, Quinn, De Val, Peterson, Stevens.

Middlesbrough: Given; Omeruo, Ayala (Kamara 88), Gibson, Friend; Ledesma, Butterfield (Whitehead 63), Leadbitter, Chalobah, Carayol; Main (Graham 64). Unused substitutes: Konstantopoulos, Varga, Hines, Brobbel.

Referee: A Davies (replaced by M Brown at half-time).