How Darren Moore executed a tactical masterclass as Doncaster Rovers dumped Blackburn Rovers out of FA Cup

League One Doncaster Rovers made good use of it to book a fourth-round place at Blackburn Rovers, particularly yeoman centre-back Tom Anderson and debutant goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe. But what most impressed from a collective performance of insatiable endeavour was manager Darren Moore’s coaching.

Anderson pre-dates Moore and Balcombe is yet another shrewd loan signing, but the 1-0 win came on the back of a Covid-19 outbreak which shut down the training ground until earlier in the week and kept the team on the sidelines since December 22.

Still to fully recover, Matt Smith and Jon Taylor were missing from a squad unable to take up the two extra substitute places available in this competition. That was the official reason for captain Ben Whiteman’s absence too, having “blown up” in training the day before. Cynics might wonder how much Preston North End’s failed bid for him contributed, but regardless, it left Moore not much to work with.

He had a back four of central defenders with two full-backs in front. Danny Amos coming on to close out the final stages made it seven defenders. The No 9 on winger Fejiri Okenabirhie’s back showed he too was grafting for the greater good.

With players phased back after illness over the week, preparation for the tie extended to two days but the groundwork has been laid since Moore arrived in mid-2019. He has taught his players what he expects from each position of their 4-2-3-1 so he can ask them to do a different job at the drop of a hat. That, and his loan dealings, are his way of extracting the maximum out of limited resources.

“We show they can play there and they’ve got to understand it,” he explained. “Everybody played their positions spot on. It hopefully gives individuals the confidence to show their versatility.”

Moore’s tactics were perfectly tailored to his resources. After a heavy festive schedule, Championship hosts Blackburn had the opposite problem in terms of players available, so the game became less defence versus attack, more defence versus midfield.

“I sort of knew from Thursday what we had to work with,” said Moore. “We had two days to work and we knew the damage Blackburn were doing in the Championship so we had to put in a performance like that to get any sort of result. It was a real close game and we just shaded it.

“As a unit, concentration levels had got to be spot on. Everyone shared the load.”

Blackburn had 68 per cent of the ball and 20 goal attempts, but only hit the target with two. Doncaster defended deep with a determination epitomised by Anderson, who when not in the way of shots was on the end of Blackburn crosses thanks to his excellent reading of the game.

On the rare occasions Doncaster counter-attacked, they did so with purpose and precision, leaning on loanees from top academies. Of their five attempts, three were on target, one converted by Brighton and Hove Albion’s Taylor Richards, linking with Arsenal striker Tyreece John-Jules.

“When he gets near the opposition goal he’s very dangerous, a very different midfielder to what we’ve got,” said Moore of Richards, occasionally used in deeper and more advanced roles but here in his natural habitat of No 10.

John-Jules and Richards had already linked twice and although they were Doncaster’s only attacks of the first 40 minutes, they ought to have scored both.

Aynsley Pears came out to save with his legs from John-Jules after right-back Brad Halliday won the ball in his central midfield role and played it to Richards. Five minutes later it was Reece James, for years a nailed-on left-back but used in so many positions this season it no longer seems an accurate tag, who passed decisively over the rutted pitch to John-Jules. Richards disappointingly dragged his shot wide.

Blackburn’s biggest threat was a Tom Trybull cross Darragh Lenihan nearly stretched to.

When James fed Richards on halfway, Blackburn were punished not only for their ineffectiveness, but for nobody closing the youngster down and for Pears letting the shot through him.

The second-half highlights were about Doncaster keeping the ball out of their net, Anderson brilliantly heading Stewart Downing’s corner onto the crossbar running almost underneath it and Balcombe, loaned from Brentford days earlier, producing a terrific double save from Harvey Elliott and Bradley Dack.

Doncaster cashed in the luck they earnt on 88 minutes when John Buckley could only graze a wonderful Joe Rothwell ball.

On this evidence, they look Championship-ready but five League One defeats shows plenty for Moore to do. If not Anderson-like, then certainly more consistency is needed from his loanees and he may yet have to permanently replace Whiteman.

If ever there was a day to make you believe they have the right man to do that, Saturday was it.