Sharp’s injury woe adds to Rovers’ sense of dismay

In a game of few clear-cut chances, the Tykes frustrated the home side and left new Forest manager Steve McClaren bemoaning a lack of activity in the transfer market at the City Ground this summer.

Two late goals from substitute Will Buckley condemned Doncaster Rovers to a 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Striker Billy Sharp, who was stretchered off in the second half, put Rovers ahead and briefly threatened to spoil Brighton’s party.

The match was Brighton’s first competitive fixture at their new Amex Stadium, and their first after promotion from League One as champions.

Buckley scored twice at the climax to send the majority of the 20,000-plus crowd home happy.

“I believe that was down to the winning mentality we created last year, our fitness, a little bit of everything and in the end, overall, we probably deserved it,” reflected Brighton manager Gus Poyet.

Sheffield United started life back in League One with a 2-0 away win at Oldham Athletic.

Goals from defender Harry Maguire and striker Richard Cresswell were enough to seal a comfortable victory for the Blades.

At Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Rochdale.

Captain Rob Jones opened the scoring with an early header before summer signing David Prutton wrapped things up.

In League Two, Rotherham United defender Lewis Grabban marked his debut for the club with the only goal of the game against Oxford United.

In contrast to the vast majority of their brethren in the south of the county, the trio of West Riding sides had a hugely disappointing return to Football League action.

A 3-1 defeat at Southampton, if anything, flattered Leeds United who looked every bit as defensively deficient as they did for most of last season.

Max Gradel may have scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time but it did nothing to mask the flaws that Saints so ruthlessly exposed.

Bradford City also crashed to an opening-day defeat, Peter Jackson’s first game in permanent charge ending in a 2-1 reverse to Aldershot Town at Valley Parade.

A below-par display allowed the Shots to race into a two-goal lead thanks to Danny Hylton’s strike and an own goal from Robbie Threlfall.

James Hanson managed a late reply for the Bantams but it was a case of too little, too late and Jackson will need to lift his players before tomorrow night’s Carling Cup first-round derby trip to Leeds.

Huddersfield Town, meanwhile, did at least claim some reward from their home game against Bury.

However, a 1-1 draw – Gary Roberts’s opener being cancelled out by Ryan Lowe 14 minutes from time – was not the start that manager Lee Clark had anticipated.

Adding to the Town chief’s sense of frustration was the news that Alex Smithies could be facing a lengthy lay-off due to the recurrence of the knee injury that blighted much of last season for the England Under-21 goalkeeper.

Clark said: “He has a problem with his knee. It keeps giving him pain so he will go in for some surgery (a week today).

“We have done everything right and Alex had the operation plus the right amount of rest. But it has not worked.

“Maybe he needs a bit of debris flushed out. He is still getting pain so that is telling him there is a problem.

“We won’t speculate until he has been seen by the specialist. He is going to the very best.”