For the second week running Darren Moore’s Port Vale are on the receiving end of a League Two Team of The Week result after falling to a 3-2 defeat to Grant McCann’s Doncaster Rovers in a terrific game that was evenly matched throughout. Rovers’ victory on the road made it three wins from four to start the new campaign.
Port Vale were heavily beaten at Barrow last week and Doncaster Rovers’ win at Vale Park is enough to see them awarded The Deck’s League Two Team of The Week.
Port Vale 2-3 Doncaster Rovers
Luke Molyneux is a player in form and the 26-year-old recorded his second three-goal contribution of the League Two campaign with another brace and assist for Billy Sharp’s close-range finish. The former Hartlepool star recorded 17 goal contributions in 2023/24 in addition to a goal in the play-off semi-final and will be instrumental if Doncaster Rovers are to compete for promotion this season.
Both of his strikes saw him find space in behind Port Vale’s defence and both were accomplished finishes. He has five goals now for the campaign after also finding the net in the Carabao Cup first-round triumph over Salford City. His side had to ride their luck at times as their opponents had an effort cleared off the line and five shots on target but it is an excellent win for a team that struggled on the road in 2023/24, finishing with the 13th-best record despite ending the campaign in impressive form.
Jordan Gibson deserves a mention on the other side as he completed five dribbles, four more than any other player who started the game and two clear of Benicio Baker-Boaitey, who made a major impact from the bench for the home team. The win ensures that Doncaster Rovers are in the conversation at the top of the table at this early stage, with a mouthwatering tie scheduled for next weekend.
Upcoming Fixtures and Future Prospects
Gillingham lead the League Two table with ten points, having conceded just one goal in their first four matches. They travel to Doncaster Rovers after failing to beat Grant McCann’s side last season and this game could give us an indication of which side are best placed for a run at the top of the table in the early months.
Rovers are a different side since McCann took charge in May 2023 and have a win ratio of just over 49%, winning 32 of their 65 matches with the former Peterborough United manager in charge. They have seen an incredible 210 goals scored in those 65 outings and will have to tighten up defensively if they are to compete for the title.
They have conceded 74 times in 50 regular season League Two matches since the start of last season which is an average of 1.48 per game and the automatically promoted sides in 2023/24 conceded on average 1.06 so there is work to do in defensive areas. They have recruited in this area, including a loan deal for goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe and how the Chelsea player settles into his first season in the Football League could be a pivotal factor.
However, they are strong in attack and have scored in 23 successive league games. The manager was not getting carried away with the stat, telling the club’s official website after the win over Port Vale:
“With the players we have in this team, we should always be scoring goals, or at the very least we should be having opportunities.
“Those are the demands that I always put on the front end of the pitch.
“I said last week that we have to be more ruthless and we were in this one. I think we still can be more ruthless. We had opportunities where we got into areas and just didn’t get the right pass or shot off.
“I think once it comes we’ll get more goals than three against someone but I’m really pleased with the overall outcome.”
It should be anticipated that their goalscoring exploits will continue but it will have to be the focus of the coaching staff to get a more coherent defensive set-up. They gave away a poor penalty against Port Vale and could easily have been pegged back from 3-1 to drop points. A win and solid showing defensively against Gillingham would go a long way to proving their credentials.
