Doncaster Rovers 0 Southend 0: Forrester denied as Doncaster forced to settle for home point

Manager Paul Dickov named an unchanged line-up to the side that were held by Wigan Athletic on Sunday.

Cian Bolger came close to opening the scoring for Southend after just 40 seconds, with the Irishman glancing his header marginally over the bar after losing his marker following a Kevan Hurst corner.

Rovers were unable to muster a shot on target during a tame first-half. Forrester saw his rifling effort blocked by a sprawling Adam Barrett, following some link up play between the 24-year-old and captain James Coppinger just outside the Shrimpers’ box.

The game sprung into life after the hour mark, with both sides coming close to breaking the deadlock.

Forrester had his cross cleared off the line before goalkeeper Daniel Bentley denied the former Brentford man with a superb one-handed stop low to his right.

Substitute Richard Chaplow muscled his way past two defenders, as his shot was parried into the path of Forrester who side-footed over the bar.

Thorsten Stuckmann matched his fellow stopper with two sublime saves in two minutes. Firstly, the German tipped Michael Timlin’s header over the bar, before denying Will Atkinson’s strike which was destined for the top corner.

Doncaster Rovers: Stuckmann, McCullough, Butler, MacKenzie, Taylor-Sinclair, Evina (Main 66), Wellens, Middleton (Chaplow 54), Forrester (Whitehouse 80), Coppinger, Williams. Unused substitutes: Marosi, Lund, Mandeville, P McKay,

Southend United: Bentley, White (c), Bolger (Prosser 67), Barrett, Coker, Worrall, Timlin, Leonard, Hurst (Weston 61), Atkinson, Mooney (Pigott 70). Unused substitutes: T. Smith, Wordsworth, Payne, Deegan,

Referee: S Stockbridge (Tyne & Wear).