Doncaster Rovers 1 PNE 1
An injury-time equaliser from Nathan Tyson grabbed a point for Doncaster after Chris Humphrey's screamer looked to have earned the points for the Lilywhites at the Keepmoat Stadium.
North End were unchanged in their starting XI from the side that won 4-0 in Scunthorpe just three days earlier, although Andy Little did return to the bench, with Scott Laird missing out.
It was a cagey opening 20 minutes, the best chance for North End falling to Bailey Wright who picked up the ball 40 yards out from a Paul Gallagher pass, stepped forward and drove in a shot from 35 yards that dipped just an inch over the cross bar with Jed Steer beaten.
The best chances for the latter part of the opening period fell to the home side. On 20 minutes Kyle Bennett saw a shot deflected behind for Doncaster’s first corner, but it was in the final ten minutes that the best chances came.
Firstly James Coppinger drove at the North End defence from deep, cut inside and found space 20 yards out, but his shot was straight at Jamie Jones.
The on 38 minutes Coppinger again broke down the right, shot from a right hand channel which was well blocked by Bailey Wright. The resulting corner came out to Marc De Val, but this time Alan Browne deflected the effort wide for another corner, that Calum Woods managed to smother away.
With three minutes left in the half Theo Robinson broke onto a ricocheting ball in a left hand channel and fired hard and low from a narrow angle on the left, but Jones again did well to block.
Four minutes into the second half and a piece of brilliance from Jamie Jones palmed an effort round the post from Marc De Val’s 45 yard free kick as the home side started brightly after the restart.
Alan Browne forced Steer into his first save of the second period nine minute in, a curling effort that the on loan Villa man palmed away at full stretch.
But it was Chris Humphrey who broke the deadlock on 65 minutes. A free kick was awarded for a foul on Joe Garner down the left and Paul Gallagher delivered a whipped free kick with pace. Jed Steer could only punch the ball up in the air and Bailey Wright headed goalwards. Kyle Bennett got a half clearance on it, but only to Humphrey five yards outside the right hand corner of the box and he unleashed a powerful effort back through the crowded box and into the top left hand corner, giving Steer no chance.
Substitute Andy Little twice tested Steer with ten minutes left, using his pace to get away and firstly drive from the right and then as the ball came back out half volleying back towards the bottom right hand corner, only to see the keeper again save.
But in the second minute of injury-time the home side grabbed the equaliser. A cross from the right flashed all the way across goal, but was delivered back into the box by Cedric Evina and eventually it fell at the back post to Nathan Tyson, who poked home from close range to earn Paul Dickov's men a point.
Doncaster Rovers line-up: Steer, Wabara, Evina, Furman (Tyson, 71), Jones (c) (Wakefield, 12), Bennett, Robinson, McCullough, De Val, Keegan, Coppinger. Subs not used: Marosi, Whitehouse, Askins, Peterson, Middleton.
PNE line-up: Jones, Clarke (c), Wright, Humphrey (Little, 70), Kilkenny (King, 62), Gallagher (Hayhurst, 87), Garner, Woods, B Davies, Brownhill, Browne. Subs not used: Stuckmann, Wiseman, K Davies, Welsh.
Attendance: 6,513 (888 away fans)
Referee: Mr G Sutton
North End were unchanged in their starting XI from the side that won 4-0 in Scunthorpe just three days earlier, although Andy Little did return to the bench, with Scott Laird missing out.
It was a cagey opening 20 minutes, the best chance for North End falling to Bailey Wright who picked up the ball 40 yards out from a Paul Gallagher pass, stepped forward and drove in a shot from 35 yards that dipped just an inch over the cross bar with Jed Steer beaten.
The best chances for the latter part of the opening period fell to the home side. On 20 minutes Kyle Bennett saw a shot deflected behind for Doncaster’s first corner, but it was in the final ten minutes that the best chances came.
Firstly James Coppinger drove at the North End defence from deep, cut inside and found space 20 yards out, but his shot was straight at Jamie Jones.
The on 38 minutes Coppinger again broke down the right, shot from a right hand channel which was well blocked by Bailey Wright. The resulting corner came out to Marc De Val, but this time Alan Browne deflected the effort wide for another corner, that Calum Woods managed to smother away.
With three minutes left in the half Theo Robinson broke onto a ricocheting ball in a left hand channel and fired hard and low from a narrow angle on the left, but Jones again did well to block.
Four minutes into the second half and a piece of brilliance from Jamie Jones palmed an effort round the post from Marc De Val’s 45 yard free kick as the home side started brightly after the restart.
Alan Browne forced Steer into his first save of the second period nine minute in, a curling effort that the on loan Villa man palmed away at full stretch.
But it was Chris Humphrey who broke the deadlock on 65 minutes. A free kick was awarded for a foul on Joe Garner down the left and Paul Gallagher delivered a whipped free kick with pace. Jed Steer could only punch the ball up in the air and Bailey Wright headed goalwards. Kyle Bennett got a half clearance on it, but only to Humphrey five yards outside the right hand corner of the box and he unleashed a powerful effort back through the crowded box and into the top left hand corner, giving Steer no chance.
Substitute Andy Little twice tested Steer with ten minutes left, using his pace to get away and firstly drive from the right and then as the ball came back out half volleying back towards the bottom right hand corner, only to see the keeper again save.
But in the second minute of injury-time the home side grabbed the equaliser. A cross from the right flashed all the way across goal, but was delivered back into the box by Cedric Evina and eventually it fell at the back post to Nathan Tyson, who poked home from close range to earn Paul Dickov's men a point.
Doncaster Rovers line-up: Steer, Wabara, Evina, Furman (Tyson, 71), Jones (c) (Wakefield, 12), Bennett, Robinson, McCullough, De Val, Keegan, Coppinger. Subs not used: Marosi, Whitehouse, Askins, Peterson, Middleton.
PNE line-up: Jones, Clarke (c), Wright, Humphrey (Little, 70), Kilkenny (King, 62), Gallagher (Hayhurst, 87), Garner, Woods, B Davies, Brownhill, Browne. Subs not used: Stuckmann, Wiseman, K Davies, Welsh.
Attendance: 6,513 (888 away fans)
Referee: Mr G Sutton