Doncaster Rovers 0 Crawley Town 1 We looked tired: Saunders
Ajose, on loan from Peterborough United, reacted the quickest to get a vital touch to steer the ball home following a shot from substitute Josh Simpson.
It sealed a frustrating afternoon for Rovers, who were not at their best as Crawley chief Richie Barker enjoyed a successful return to South Yorkshire after recently taking charge of the Red Devils.
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Hide AdRovers did have some good chances, especially in the first half, but they largely toiled on the restart.
Billy Paynter missed a great cross following David Cotterill’s cross but his weak effort went straight at Town keeper Paul Jones.
Martin Woods saw a firm volley blocked by Jones, while Paynter curled an effort just wide.
Midfielder James Coppinger, who turned down a loan move to Barnsley on Thursday and whose future is uncertain, started on the bench for the hosts, eventually entering the fray for Chris Brown on 64 minutes.
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Hide AdBut he couldn’t conjure a breakthrough for Dean Saunders’ troops with Crawley having the better chances on the restart.
Kyle McFadzean was off target twice with headers while Simpson, who came on in the 69th minute, almost broke the deadlock shortly after coming on with a shot.
The last word belonged to Ajose as Rovers, fresh from wins over Walsall and Bury, were given a reality check.
Doncaster: Woods, McCombe, Quinn, Spurr, R Jones, Cotterill, Woods, Syers, Bennett, Paynter, Brown (Coppinger 64). Unused subs: Sullivan, Husband, Harper, Blake, Keegan.
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Hide AdCrawley: P Jones, Sadler, Hunt, Davis (Simpson, 69), McFadzean, Cooper, Torres, Adams, Akpan, Alexander, Ajose (Bulman 89). Unused subs: Clarke, Forte, Kuipers, Connolly, Neilson.
Referee: Trevor Kettle.
Attendance: 6,403.