Doncaster Rovers 1 Stevenage 1: Value of Brown’s goal undecided – Saunders

Rovers – who have a League Cup date at Premier League Norwich City on Wednesday – trailed to Oliver Risser’s 16th-minute header until Chris Brown salvaged a point 11 minutes from time

“I think we should have won the game,” said Saunders, whose side are now unbeaten in three games.

“We didn’t play particularly well in the first 20 minutes.

“They scored early from a set play and then just sat back.

“They’ve gone nine games unbeaten, they’ve lost three games and nearly got promoted last year, so they know what they’re doing. They’ve been together quite a while.

“And provided we win the next one, that’s not a bad result.”

Early pressure from Stevenage brought the opening goal.

Lucas Akins cut in from the Stevenage right and from the edge of the area hit a low shot that Gary Woods turned around the post.

But it was from that resulting corner that Risser glanced home the opening goal.

Martin Woods and David Cotterill combined for a shot from the latter which Rovers players believed had struck the arm of a Stevenage defender, but the referee ruled it had not.

Gary Woods was kept busy in the Rovers goal with long-range efforts but it was the hosts who made most of the running in the second half, with Cotterill to the fore.

Brown went close just moments before he slotted the leveller on 79 minutes.

Rovers won a free-kick out on the right and when it was swung over, Stevenage failed to deal with it adequately and when it dropped to Brown he slammed the ball home through a sea of legs.

Chris Day in the Stevenage goal then had to be alert to prevent a buoyant Rovers side from turning the result completely on its head.

Brown and then captain Rob Jones were both denied by the fine goalkeeping of the former Tottenham apprentice.

Saunders introduced Iain Hume in the second half for his home debut. Saunders said: “He did well. I thought all the subs did well.”

Doncaster Rovers: G Woods, Quinn, R Jones, McCombe, Spurr, Syers, M Woods (Hume 55), Keegan (Harper 46), Bennett (Husband 63), Brown, Cotterill. Unused substitutes: Maxted, Martis, Blake.

Stevenage: Day, Comminges, Roberts, Ashton, Gray, Risser, Akins, Dunne, Grant, Morais (Tansey 75), Haber (Charles 90). Unused substitutes: Arnold, Freeman, Lopez, N’Gala, Shroot.

Referee: P Gibbs (West Midlands).

Man of the match: Martin Woods.