Elegant 'killers' Doncaster Rovers outclass Bradford City as visitors deliver the perfect ten: final word on League Two derby day

Rovers neutralised Bradford City for much of the first half, but didn’t wipe them out in terms of the scoreline. The hits belatedly arrived in the space of nine second half minutes.

Had Rovers been more cut-throat, they could - and perhaps should - have scored a few more than the two goals they managed and it had the effect of keeping the hosts interested, more especially when City's own hitman in Andy Cook did what he does late on.

Earlier, another EFL assassin of some repute in Billy Sharp had also struck. Sharp’s record in front of goal precedes him. Yet on the day, it was his delightful connection play in a fluid three-man attack that caught the eye.

Sharp is much more than a goalscorer these days and it showed on Saturday alongside a class act in Luke Molyneux and a player who slotted into the number ten role like a dream in Kyle Hurst.

Sharp said: "It was a good one. My dad told me I’d got four in three (games) here, so I fancied one.

"This felt like a proper game; no disrespect to the others we’ve had. Staying above them was important too.

"We had strong words and spoke about attacking with more belief and pace and I felt young with the lads out there. Hursty and Mols were flying and we created a lot of opportunities and it was enjoyable to play in."

The strong words afterwards were reserved for Graham Alexander, who was not happy about his side’s defending and he had a point. Sharp’s assertion that it was a proper game was also spot on.

Unfortunately for City’s sakes, history has shown plenty of evidence in recent seasons that it’s the sort of occasion that Bradford don’t often show up in.

A quintet of substitutions on 73 minutes - if that didn’t show the displeasure of Alexander, nothing did - did briefly revive City.

Lewis Richards did look the part down the left in particular with his juicy cross dispatched in lethal fashion by the head of Cook, but there was not much else beforehand.

On a big day, Rovers were front and centre and spoiled City’s hopes of a perfect ‘ten’. Their number of games unbeaten at Valley Parade stayed in single digits, even if Cook’s goal took him into double figures for the season.

Doncaster’s own perfect ten was Hurst, with McCann’s decision to restore him to his starting line-up in that position - in a fluid 3-4-1-2 formation which outflanked his rival - proving a masterstroke.

Rovers got between the lines no end of times in the first half and with Molyneux consistently unhinging City down the right, allied to some real craft from Sharp, it seemed only a matter of time before they found the net.

In the first half, Hurst and Molyneux tested the reactions of the busy Sam Walker, low down, while Hurst fired a curler just wide.

Niall Byrne got in the way of a goalbound Owen Bailey drive amid consternation in the box, while only a brilliant saving tackle from Chieck Diabate thwarted dangerman Hurst late in the half.

The interval was well timed for City, who briefly threatened on the resumption with Cook’s volley testing the reactions of Teddy Sharman-Lowe and League Two’s top gun then heading just wide, before Rovers got back on message.

It was a smartly-taken opener from Molyneux after an exchange with Hurst, but preventable from a City perspective.

They failed to cope with a punt forward from Sharp and their defenders, in a three-on-two situation in their favour, gravitated to the ball and forgot about Molyneux, who was free on the left and finished.

A surging run and cross from Hurst served up the second on a platter for Sharp from just his sort of range.

City were looking ragged, Hurst, Broadbent, Jay McGrath and Molyneux went close to adding a third before the hosts’ lifeline.

Things suddenly got edgy for Rovers, but they held out on a big day. They must not waste it, while Bradford must take it on the chin and go again.

Bradford City: S Walker; Diabate (Halliday 73), Byrne, Shepherd; Benn (Evans 74), Smallwood, J Walker (Oliver 74), Pointon, Wright (Richards 73); Smith (Kavanagh 73), Cook. Substitutes unused: Doyle, Huntington.

Doncaster Rovers: Sharman-Lowe; Olowu, McGrath, Senior (Clifton 82); Sterry, Bailey, Broadbent, Maxwell (Fleming 81); Molyneux, Sharp (Ironside 89), Hurst (P Kelly 90). Substitutes unused: Lawlor, Gibson, Close.

Referee: R Ricardo (Leics).