Oldham Athletic 1 Doncaster Rovers 2: Striker Andy Williams helps propel Rovers clear of trouble

Team-mates celebrate with Andy Williams after he gave Rovers the lead at Oldham.

DONCASTER Rovers put clear daylight between themselves and the League One drop zone with a dogged display away at Oldham.

Andy Williams was on target twice in the first half but Rovers were forced to fight hard to hold off the hosts after the break.

The Latics could have gone in front inside two minutes as the unmarked Carl Winchester headed over at the back post.

But it was Rovers who made the breakthrough. Craig Alcock played a good ball forward and Williams did the rest, cutting inside to curl a strike with the outside of his boot into the top corner.

Conor Grant went close to making it two in three minutes for the visitors, only to see his effort come back off the post, but Rovers did double their advantage just before the break after a goalmouth scramble.

Harry Middleton did well to keep the ball alive, drawing a save from David Cornell with Williams on hand to force home the rebound.

The second half started with a handful of half-chances for both sides, but Oldham were thrown a lifeline by Murphy. He flicked it on to Mark Yeates, who returned it across the box for a tap-in.

Murphy could have levelled in stoppage time but headed over from Yeates’s pinpoint free-kick.

Oldham: Cornell, B. Wilson, J. Wilson (Dummigan 45), Dieng, Eckersley (Mills 71), Philliskirk, Kelly, Winchester (Yeates 62), Jones, Murphy, Cassidy. Unused substitutes: Coleman, Croft, Poleon, Rasulo.

Doncaster: Stuckmann, Alcock, Butler, Taylor-Sinclair, Mattioni (Lund 31), Middleton, Keegan, Grant, Evina, Coppinger (Chaplow 72), Williams (Tyson 64). Unused substitutes: McCullough, Mandeville, Marosi, Whitehouse.

Referee: R Joyce.

Man of the match: Andy Williams.