FA Cup bubble bursts to leave Doncaster Rovers looking for new faces

Yes, there were rookies in the shape of Nathan Trott, Oladapo Afolayan and Jamal Baptiste.

There was also Michail Antonio, one of the best players in the Premier League of late, an England international in Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell, who is being spoken about as a Three Lions contender once again.

To provide some context, Moore could not fill all nine spots on Doncaster Rovers’ bench.

It was not always this way for the Rovers manager, who has proved proficient at turning straw into gold in his time at a club where he was first revered for his performances, leadership and stature during some genuinely bad old days playing at Doncaster’s old Belle Vue home.

Moore, of course, is someone who has managed in the top tier and led a side out at vast venues of the ilk of the London Stadium.

In his spell at West Brom in the big time, Moore pitted his wits against Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford and Rafa Benitez at St James’ Park and won. His side also beat a Spurs line-up managed by Maurico Pochettino.

Moore is Rovers’ biggest asset and someone who the club are lucky to have. An individual who at 46 is approaching his peak years in management. Someone who by common consent should really be managing in the Championship, at least.

His work at a club he will always show a duty of care for in Rovers has been outstanding.

They currently sit in League One’s top five and have games in hand on all the sides above them. An excellent campaign has the potential to be a special one.

For that to have the prospect of happening, Moore, whose side must negotiate 26 league fixtures before season’s end, will require a few more tools.

It is why his post-match revelation that Rovers are close to finalising two new signings was the significant take-away for Doncaster supporters following their side’s FA Cup exit.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Moore expressed his hope that ‘at least four’ new arrivals will arrive before the deadline at Rovers, who sold talismanic midfielder Ben Whiteman for a big-money fee to Preston earlier this month.

Two would be a decent start and provide optimism in a week which ends with a key game at Lincoln. A game which supersedes their Cup tie at West Ham in terms of importance.

Rovers and their Hammers counterparts were greeted by bubbles when they stepped out on Saturday, as is the way here.

Any lingering ones soon went pop from a Rovers perspective just 130 seconds in when Pablo Fornals fired home to knock the stuffing out of the visitors.

The gap between the dug-outs and the pitch at the Hammers’ home is vast. The on-pitch difference between a side who made seven changes but still possessed an array in strength and another who were limited in terms of options was cavernous.

Rovers fielded two defenders as holding midfielders in Reece James and Brad Halliday.

At the back, Andy Butler – who turned 37 in October and was starting his third game in a week – and his defensive cohorts had to contend with the movement and artistry of the likes of Said Benrahma and Andriy Yarmolenko.

It was hardly a fair fight as Rovers – near to the Bobby Moore Primary and Secondary Schools which are in close proximity to this magnificent stadium – were given a bit of a schooling.

For Butler, who unfortunately put through his own net for the hosts’ third goal, it has been some FA Cup journey this season.

It started with him being in caretaker charge for the first-round tie at FC United of Manchester when Moore and members of his staff had to self-isolate.

The centre-half – who looked into joining the police force last summer before linking back up with his hometown club – was part of a Rovers line-up who played in a fateful play-off second leg fixture across the river on the other side of the Thames at Charlton back in May, 2019.

Can Doncaster last the course and maybe go one better this season? They need reinforcements to give themselves the best chance.

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